The Kano State Government has reacted to the alleged moves by the Federal Government to beam its searchlight on the state’s finances, saying it is prepared for every politically motivated onslaught by President Goodluck Jonathan.
The state Commissioner of Information, Nuhu Abubakar, who made this known in an interview, said since the coming on-board of the Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso administration, the state government had published every extract of its weekly executive council meetings.
He challenged the Federal Government to do same since most of its financial dealings are shrouded in secrecy.
“In fact it is the Federal Government that today is so afraid to let Nigerians know what they are doing with public money because nobody knows how much is approved in each of their council meetings”, Mr. Abubakar said.
According to the commissioner, the presidency’s problems stems from the fact that places like Kano and Lagos, two of the most populous states in Nigeria, were fully controlled by the opposition. He said the fact remained that no serious central government could afford to lose these states.
“That is why they are mad in trying to cause confusion in Kano thinking they will get what they want”, he said, adding that “When you are talking of a lack of probity and accountability, it is the Federal Government under President Goodluck Jonathan that is not only nationally but internationally being questioned. Today, you have serious stealing of the nation’s oil, which has never happened in the history of Nigeria; the massive allegations of fraudulent acts among some of his ministers, which he intentionally blinds his eyes to”.
Mr. Abubakar stated that it was only in the Jonathan Government that when an allegation of fraud was raised, rather than giving it all the serious attention it deserves, the government would turn on the whistle-blower and ensure that he/she is dealt with.
“This is not speculation, not allegations, but fact. It happened with Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. It happened with so many other people who have since fallen apart with the government”, he said.
“That is why, like I told you earlier, we are not in any way afraid of them. We are fully ready for them because we have no skeleton in our backyard to hide. We do publish every single kobo we spend on a weekly basis, right from the day we assumed office. It is there for everybody to see, and this is probity and accountability – making people to know what you are doing with their money. Not, after your weekly meetings, unleashing the information minister to flash out some of what you have discussed and hide the major ones from the hearing and knowledge of the public, like they do”.
The Commissioner said, to his knowledge, there was speculation around the local government funds.
“They should go to every of the 44 local government areas of Kano and see what we did with the money. In fact, it is in Kano that, in every of these councils, you have 5 km roads, dualised ones with street lights, built with public money. You have schools of Arabic studies as well as Technical schools in all the councils. Beside these, we have employed hundreds of people, not mentioning our giant strides in agriculture.
“It is on notice that the Federal Government under President Jonathan is not happy with us, that we left the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC. There is nothing they can do. We are not in any way afraid of their baseless and unfounded allegations, if there is any, because right not we have not received any official notifications from anywhere. All that is being said is on the line of allegations but it is good to react to it; not until you are been knocked down then you will be looking for who will sympathise with you”.
