N177 Billion Foreign Loan: We Have Never Collected Any Facilities Since We  Came On Board – Kano Govt

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Kano State authorities have strongly rejected any claims of a N177 billion foreign facility.

The Source reports that the social media was, on Thursday, awash with news of a loan secured from France by the Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s administration.

However, the State Government has insisted that such claims are not only false and malicious, but also a calculated attempt to distract it from delivering on its  mandate to the people.

In a statement on Friday September 27, Hamisu Sadi Ali,the Director General DG of the Kano State Debt Management Office, DMO, said the agency is not aware of any such foreign debt portfolio.

According to him, apart from inherited foreign debts such as the 64 million euros secured in 2018 by the immediate past administration in the State, the Kano State Government has never requested, nor received any loans both foreign or  domestic.

He noted that former Governor Abdullahi  Ganduje secured a 64- million Euros  loan from the French Development Agency for the purpose of  financing the National Urban Water Sector Project .

According to the DG Kano  DMO, only 13 million Euros out of the 64 million Euros loan package has been drawn down and disbursed .

Furthermore, Ali noted that under the Kano state Public Debt Management Law of 2021, no borrowing by the Government can take place without the knowledge of the DMO.

Besides, he maintained that  such loan will equally be managed by the DMO which also must follow some rigorous procedures before it is granted.

The DG DMO, insisted  that the major preoccupation of the Governor Yusuf led administration is not to further plunge the State into the abyss of debts, but on how to effectively service the already accumulated debts by the previous Government .

“The loan was secured  by the Ganduje administration and that has been the most recent foreign facility contracted by the State .

“That loan is intended for the provision of affordable water services. Since coming into power on May 29, 2023, this NNPP  administration has not taken any new loans either domestically and/or internationally ” the DG DMO stated.