Yusuf pledges Kano transformation, urges release of Ganduje probe report
Gov. Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State says he is focused on taking the state to greater heights than engaged former governor of the state, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, in the war of attrition.
Yususf, through his Director-General of Media and Publicity, Malam Sunusi Bature, told newsmen in Kano on Monday that he was not bothered by criticisms by Ganduje.
Yususf was reacting to allegations by Ganduje, now National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), of using diversionary tactics to cover up his failure to deliver the dividends of democracy in the state.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Edwin Olofu, Ganduje alleged that it was unfortunate that Yusuf failed to meet public expectations in spite of an increase in fiscal allocations to the state.
“Our eight months in office have remarkably outweighed Ganduje’s eight wasted years of political caricature and maladministration by all standards,” Yusuf said.
Yusuf said his administration was inclined to prioritise attention to socio-economic and physical infrastructure developments for the overall well-being of the people of the state.
He urged the appropriate authorities, such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to ensure that those who embezzled the state’s funds, including Ganduje, were brought to justice through legal means.
Yusuf said it was unfortunate that Ganduje would accuse him of diverting funds meant for the state when he was still under investigation by the EFCC for looting public funds.
He also said that his government would continue to probe Ganduje’s eight-year tenure until it was satisfied that his hands were clean or he would use legal means to recover public funds in his possession.
“We wish to reaffirm the present administration’s resolve and readiness to make anyone found guilty of corruption face the full wrath of the law for their intentional wrongdoing,” he said.
Yusuf, therefore, urged the EFCC to complete the investigation into the allegation of stuffing wads of dollars belonging to the state into his pocket by Ganduje and release the report of the investigation.
He said his administration was preoccupied with how to offset the public debt of over N300 billion it inherited from Ganduje’s administration.
Yusuf said he was taking a bold step by paying the backlog of pension gratuity for the state pensioners who were not paid by Ganduje’s administration, in addition to other development projects it was undertaking.
