Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano
The Kwankwasiyya Movement has questioned the reported plan by the Kano State Government to compel the 44 native authorities councils in the state to take a mixed mortgage of about N55 billion from a industrial financial institution.
In a press release issued final Saturday and signed by its spokesperson, Dr. Habibu Mohammed, the motion mentioned every council could also be required to imagine a debt of about N1.3 billion to fund Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres, an unspecified challenge and an empowerment programme.
According to the motion, the proposed breakdown contains about N632.57 million per council for CBT centres; N500 million for an undisclosed challenge, and N117.41 million for empowerment.
While supporting academic infrastructure and empowerment, the group mentioned such tasks should be pursued transparently and lawfully, and requested why councils ought to borrow for tasks reportedly to be managed by the state.
The motion queried the timing of the mortgage forward of the electoral cycle, and requested the federal government to reveal its income place and why current allocations can’t fund the tasks. It mentioned that, although it was not alleging the mortgage was meant for election financing, safeguards should be in place to stop diversion to partisan actions.
It additionally demanded full particulars of the tasks, together with areas of the CBT centres, feasibility research, the character of the N500 million challenge, and the choice standards for empowerment beneficiaries.
The assertion additional demanded an account of the earlier joint empowerment programme, notably the month-to-month ladies empowerment initiative, asking how a lot every council contributed, the full quantity acquired by the state, the quantity disbursed, administrative prices and remaining stability, and why the programme lasted lower than ten months.
The Movement known as on the Kano State House of Assembly to make clear whether or not it accredited the mortgage, and to publish related resolutions, insisting that compensation phrases and authorized foundation should be scrutinised in line with the Supreme Court’s July 2024 judgment on native authorities autonomy.
It additionally urged the industrial financial institution linked to the ability to conduct thorough due diligence on the legality, compensation capability and objective of the mortgage, warning that public sector lending carries authorized and reputational obligations.
The group famous that whereas a change of presidency doesn’t nullify a sound mortgage, a future administration has the suitable to evaluation inherited monetary commitments the place illegality is discovered.
It urged the state authorities, native authorities chairmen, the Assembly, and the financial institution to make sure that public borrowing serves public curiosity and never political comfort.
