By Ismail Auwal
Kano Civil Society Forum (KCSF), a coalition of over 200 civil society organizations, has expressed concern about the state’s ballooning unsustainable debt profile of N128 billion.
In a statement signed by its president, Amb. Ibrahim A. Waiya, and secretary, Peter Hassan Tijani, the group urged the Speaker of the State House of Assembly to rescind approval granted to Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to secure N10 billion fresh loan for purchase of CCTV.
The group claimed that “reliable information from the Debt Management Office (DMO), Abuja, has rated Kano state debt profile as at March 31st, 2022 as high as to the tune of N127,847,657,184.82 (domestic), this is pretty too unpleasant for a State like Kano.”
The KSCF noted that the spate of borrowing by the Ganduje-led administration is not only alarming but also disturbing.
“This ugly practice can only be best described as a systematic scheme to mortgage the future of Kano State and enslave us as the citizens.”
“The forum wishes to request the leadership of the Kano State House of Assembly to rescind its earlier approval forthwith, in the interest of the Kano citizens, and look beyond political sentiment or personal benefits and focus on preserving the future of Kano people, as posterity shall surely judge your actions or inactions,” the statement reads.
The group, which described the loan approval as disturbing, lamented the deterioration of the educational system and the rise in the number of out-of-school children roaming Kano’s streets.
“Serious and acute shortage of water in many parts of the state, number of dropouts secondary school students increasing, resurge of social vices such as political thuggery, Yan daba fights, all resulting from youth unemployment, and steadily assuming an alarming rate.”
Other important issues, such as payments of benefits to retired civil officials who have served Kano for years and are being unfairly subjected to tremendous suffering, should have been addressed, according to the group.
“It is against the foregoing, we wish to register our displeasure and anger on the actions of the members of the Kano State House of Assembly, for consistently supporting this kind of initiative camouflaged as citizens driven, therefore beseech you for an outright review and reversal of this ill-timed approval and unpopular action,” the group said.
KSCF described the recurring culture of the Kano State Government, and the continuous support of the Kano State House of Assembly repeatedly as an “ugly precedence which would not augur well for the State and the citizens.”
