A Kano-based civil society organisation, One Kano Agenda (OKA), has petitioned the Kano State House of Assembly, calling for a thorough investigation into allegations that the immediate past Deputy Governor of Kano State, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, diverted N308 million allegedly earmarked for special prayer programmes across the state’s 44 local government areas.
The petition, addressed to the Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly and signed by the Director-General of the organisation, Ambassador Abbas Abdullahi Yakasai, urged lawmakers to investigate the allegations and recommend appropriate legal action if any wrongdoing is established
According to OKA, the petition followed claims made by the Special Adviser to the Kano State Governor on Tsangaya Education, Sheikh Musa Falaki, who alleged that funds released for special prayer programmes over a seven-month period were diverted.
The organisation stated that the prayer programme was reportedly financed through monthly contributions from the 44 local government councils and was to be coordinated by Sheikh Musa Falaki and Sheikh Ibrahim Sheshi Maihula.
However, the petition alleged that the clerics denied receiving any funds connected with the programme and stated that the prayer sessions for which the money was reportedly approved and released were never conducted.
OKA further alleged that a total of N308 million may have been disbursed without the knowledge or participation of the individuals under whose names the programme was reportedly organised.
The organisation also claimed that the matter could be part of a broader investigation into the management of local government funds, with allegations that additional sums running into hundreds of millions of naira may also be involved.
Consequently, the group urged the Kano State House of Assembly to institute an independent legislative investigation into the allegations and invite all relevant parties, including former Deputy Governor Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, officials of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Sheikh Musa Falaki, Sheikh Ibrahim Sheshi Maihula, and representatives of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, to clarify the issues raised.
OKA also requested the Assembly to establish the actual amount of public funds involved, determine whether due process was followed in the approval, disbursement and utilisation of the funds, recommend appropriate legal or administrative action where evidence of misconduct is established, and ensure the recovery of any public funds found to have been misappropriated.
The organisation stressed that its petition should not be interpreted as a declaration of guilt against any individual or institution, but rather as a call for transparency, accountability and due process in the management of public resources.
As of the time of filing this report, former Deputy Governor Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo had not publicly responded to the allegations contained in the petition.
