From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
emir of Kano, Sanusu Lamido Sanusi II has admitted spending N4 billion from the accounts of the Kano Emirate Council in three years.
He also disclosed that he inherited only N1,893,378,927.38k in the various accounts of the council and not the alleged claim of N6 billion that was being speculated in the social media.
Sanusi, who spoke during a press conference yesterday at the Emir’s palace, through the Walin Kano, Alhaji Mahe Basher dismissed various accusations while throwing insights on payments and expenditures incurred by the council within the period of his reign
The Walin Kano said the council had a total of N2,875,163,431.17k in various banks as fixed deposit accounts shortly before the appointment of Alhaji Sanusi as Emir of Kano.
He explained that out of this figure N981,784,503.79k was withdrawn and used during the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero on December 7, 2014 for the payment of Ado Bayero Royal City Project.
On the alleged N6 billion expenditure between 8 June, 2014 to 11 April, 2017, he stated that the council spent the sum of N4 ,314,476,542. 94k adding that the council operates a budget and “no expenditure is ever made outside the budgetary allocation”
The Kano traditional chief also gave a number of payments incurred by the Kano Emirate Council during the tenure of the new Emir, to include payment for new furniture for the palace after the previous ones were removed and distributed to the heirs of the former Emir as well as the payment to the heirs of the former Emir in respect of his cars inherited by Sanusi.
He listed payment for the construction and renovation of Fadancin Dare wing of the palace, air tickets for the Emir’s entourage and payment of the charter flights, two times, for the Emir of Kano, in September 2014 and in 2015.
Basher also declared that the payments for the two Rolls Royce cars were never paid by the Emirate Council, adding that the cars were donated to the Emir by his friends.
While acknowledging the receipt from July 30,2014 to March 1, 2017 30 (a period of two years and eight months), of a total sum of N1, 727,938, 660.42k as grants from the state and 44 local governments in the state, he added that the council should have received almost a triple of this amount going by the law establishing the Kano Emirate Council Fund.
According to him, the Kano Emirate Council Fund 2004 Law stipulates that, “ the Emirate Council should receive three per cent of the total statutory grants of the council in the state and 10 per cent of what the councils contributed was to be paid by the state government.
“From our calculations, between January 2012 to September 2016, the sum of N6,527,013,061.00 has been held by the state government,” the council stated.
He explained that in respect to the implementation of the contribution of 10% and 3% from the state and Local Governments, the Council was advised by the government to liaise with office of the Accountant General for details adding that as at the time of the press briefing, there had been no improvement in the implementation.
Meanwhile, the recent probe of the finance of the Kano Emirate Council under the charge of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhamad Sanusi 11 has been linked to the internal crisis rocking the emirate council.
A very senior personnel of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti Corruption Commission, said the commission was currently examining the finances of the Emirate Council. He told Daily Sun in Kano on Monday that the on gong investigation was triggered off by proponents of the former Emir of Kano, the late Alhaji Ado Bayero who were within the structure of the palace.
According to him, this interest, more than any other factors, had persistently alleged that the former Emir of Kano left the sum of 4 billion naira in the accounts of the Council at the time he exited.
“There is an allegation that there was a 4 billion naira in the account and there is a counter to that allegation that the new Emir never inherited such an amount of money from his predecessor. The duty of the Commission is to establish as to establish whether there was such an amount or not at the time he assumed office and if it is found to have existed in these accounts, whether it was judiciously used” he stated.
He dismissed insinuation in the public domain that the Kano State Government was directly behind the on-going probe of the Emir following his critical disposition to government policies of late, swearing that it was after a letter of invitation was extended to some of the civil servants in the palace that the governor got wind of the planned investigation.
“And honestly, there was really nothing he could have done differently given the fact that Section 8 of the Laws establishing this Commission empowers us to undertake this kind of investigation’ he stated.
The source, who is very familiar with the investigation, disclosed that they were approaching the whole exercise with an open mind adding that as a mark of respect, invitations were only extended to civil servants such as the treasurer and the Secretary, who were directly involved in the finances of the Emirate Council.
The source told Daily Sun that the whole probe was in the best interest of all the parties involved as it would put to rest all the speculations regarding exactly how much was left behind by the immediate past Emir of Kano, in the accounts of the Emirate Council.