Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has responded to the incoming government’s investigation into the sale of state-owned properties by referencing his predecessor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. Ganduje stated that during Kwankwaso’s administration, in which he served as deputy governor, they initiated the policy of selling government properties.
Governor Ganduje’s remarks, captured in a recent viral audio, were in reaction to the governor-elect, Abba Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), announcing plans to probe all sales of government properties during Ganduje’s tenure.
The transition committee established by Yusuf, a protégé of Kwankwaso, issued “public warnings” to developers who purchased government properties, advising them to halt any development activities on these sites, suggesting a potential review of such sales after Yusuf takes office on May 29.
Ganduje refuted these claims, arguing that the sale of government properties is a long-standing practice, initiated during his service as Kwankwaso’s deputy. He advised the governor-elect to consult his political mentor, Kwankwaso, about the policy’s origins.
Ganduje served two terms as Kwankwaso’s deputy from 1999-2003 and 2011-2015 before succeeding him. Their political relationship soured shortly into his first term.
Ganduje stressed in the viral audio, “Kwankwaso and Ganduje’s government, we are the ones who brought that policy, we sold out houses, most of them to workers, some to politicians.” He noted that this was not a new or criminal practice, pointing to his own experience of purchasing a government residence while working in Abuja.
He further mentioned, “From the Federal to state level, the government is no longer building houses for its workers to reside. The ones it has have been sold to workers. It is nothing new.”
Ganduje’s response sets a precedent for understanding the long-standing practice of selling government properties in Nigeria. The implications of these revelations and the incoming administration’s response will be watched with keen interest in the coming days.
