The Kano State Government’s decision to probe former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje over the alleged sale of the Nigerian Meat and Allied Products (NIMAP) Abattoir has stirred sharp reactions, with critics calling it a political distraction.
The Independent Mirror reports that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, through the Secretary to the State Government, inaugurated a 11-member panel led by former anti-corruption chairman, Muhuyi Magaji Rimin-Gado, to investigate the transaction. The government insists the move is about accountability and recovering public assets.
But for many Kano residents and civil society groups, the probe appears less about justice and more about deflecting attention from the scandals that have engulfed the current NNPP-led administration.
Just last week, the Forum of Kano Civil Society Organisations Against Corruption staged a protest over a wave of corruption allegations in Yusuf’s government. These include:
The ₦6.5 billion fraud allegedly diverted by the Director General of Protocol, Abdullahi Rogo, with ₦1.2 billion reportedly recovered by the ICPC.
The multi-billion-naira Novomed drugs procurement scandal, where 38 LGAs paid in full but received no supplies.
Diversion of federal palliatives, with rice and fertilizer traced to private warehouses of top aides, including the Chief of Staff, Shehu Wada Sagagi.
Inflated contracts under the ₦50,000 women’s cash support scheme and the ₦4bn metropolitan road projects.
Ganduje’s record stands firm
Despite political rivalries, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s administration is widely credited with order, discipline, and continuity in governance.
His government not only completed projects initiated under his tenure but also delivered on projects inherited from past administrations.
From infrastructure and healthcare to education, Ganduje’s era gave citizens a sense of steady development—qualities that still resonate in Kano today.
A politics of distraction
Launching a high-profile probe against Ganduje while its own scandals remain unresolved paints the Yusuf administration as hypocritical. Instead of cleaning its house, critics say the NNPP government is more interested in dragging the name of a past leader with stronger governance credentials.
Duplicated advisory bodies, failure to inaugurate its own Elders Council, and corruption scandals festering in full view further weaken its credibility.
The bigger test
If the Yusuf administration truly wants to fight corruption, it must start from within: recovering looted funds, prosecuting indicted officials, and restoring transparency in governance. Anything less reduces the probe to a political smokescreen.
History will not remember leaders for how many panels they inaugurate, but for the reforms they enact and the trust they build. Ganduje’s legacy of continuity, delivery, and decorum speaks louder than accusations.
Umar Idris Shuaibu, write from Kano.
