The Kano State Government in Nigeria has denied report by an online medium, DCL Hausa, alleging the government has secured ₦177 billion loan from France.
In a Statement signed by Hamisu Sadi Ali; Director General, Kano State Debt Management Office, said, the report is untrue.
Ali, in the Statement disclosed, the said loan was accessed by the earstwhile APC administration in the state, under Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje for water facility development.
The full statement read:
RE: KANO STATE GOVERNMENT COLLECTS N177.4 BILLION FROM FRANCE
The attention of Kano State Public Debt Management Office has been drawn by a malicious publication by an online newspaper, DCL HAUSA which falsely claimed that the Kano State Government under Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf has received the sum of N177billion as a loan from France.
The Kano Public Debt Management Law of 2021 clearly states that, the State Debt Management Office shall “subject to the provision of the Act, borrow on behalf of the Government, from any individual or institutional bodies”. Therefore, whenever Government intends to borrow either from individuals or institutions it has to be through the State Debt Management Office.
It is important to note that, accessing loans from domestic lenders such as individuals, organizations or commercial banks has rigorous processes and procedures that must be followed with various documentations that must be adhered to, talk less of foreign lenders as speculated. The Kano State Government under NNPP is currently trying its best to services all the loans collected by the previous APC administration. For the avoidance of doubt, let me state it clear that, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s led APC administration signed a subsidiary loan agreement for National Urban Water Sector Reform Project of about 64 Million Euros with French Development Agency in July 2018.
Government as a continuous process makes NNPP led administration responsible to continue utilizing the funds for the provision of affordable water to its respective beneficiaries. It is paramount to note that Ganduje’s led APC administration had already collected N13 Million Euros out of the loan amount. It is also essential to note that the said loan is the most recent foreign facility contracted by the Kano State Government and it is during APC administration. Let me reiterate that, as the person in charge of the entire State’s debt portfolios, since the inception of Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf’s administration, from 29th May, 2023 to date, no single Kobo was collected by Kano State Government within or outside the country as a loan.
The public should kindly ignore the fake news of some unscrupulous newspapers like DCL Hausa. journalism should be a deeply investigative venture and not a mere non-factual fabricated report.
Signed: Hamisu Sadi Ali, Ph.D,
Director General, Kano State Debt Management Office.
