PREMIUM TIMES can today report that former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje secretly removed the state government’s 20 percent equity in the Dala Inland Dry Port Nigeria Limited and transferred the ownership stake to private hands, making his own children directors and shareholders before awarding the firm a lucrative public contract.
This shocking transfer effectively edged the Kano State Government out of a vital logistics project and positioned the Ganduje family to directly profit from the subsequent award of a state contract worth more than N4 billion for infrastructure development.
The Anatomy of the Alleged Theft
The Dala Inland Dry Port, a strategic facility conceived in 2003 to facilitate trade with landlocked countries, was planned under a federal policy that reserved a 20 percent minority stake for the host state government.
- State Acquisition: In 2006, the Kano State Government, under then-Governor Ibrahim Shekarau, acquired its mandated 20 percent stake in the port. The state was committed to paying for this equity by providing essential infrastructure—including roads, fencing, electricity, and water—at the Zawachiki project site.
- Ganduje’s Move: Long after two previous administrations failed to execute the infrastructure project, Governor Ganduje allegedly exploited the situation. He secretly transferred the state’s 20 percent stake to private ownership, bypassing the state treasury, and immediately installed his children as co-owners.
- The Contract Award: Shortly after taking ownership, the Ganduje administration awarded a contract worth over N4 billion to Dala Inland Dry Port Limited to provide the very infrastructure—roads, power, and water—that the state was originally committed to providing as its equity contribution.
This maneuver turned a state asset into a private, family-controlled source of wealth, allowing Ganduje’s children to be simultaneously owners, directors, and contractors on a project originally intended for public benefit.
A Pattern of Alleged Corruption
This investigation into the Dala Dry Port scheme is a stark reminder of Ganduje’s previous highly publicized allegations of corruption.
During his tenure as Governor, Ganduje became globally infamous after a video emerged allegedly showing him receiving bundles of US dollars from contractors and stuffing the cash into the pocket of his traditional babban riga. The incident, where he was nicknamed the “Dollar Governor,” highlighted a history of allegedly abusing his position for personal gain from public works.
The new findings by PREMIUM TIMES suggest the former governor continued to use his office to transfer public wealth to his family, demonstrating a persistent pattern of placing private financial interests above the well-being of Kano State citizens.
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