Ganduje revokes project, orders contractor to refund N460m

CITING breach of agreement, Kano State government has revoked the contract for construction of the multi-billion naira Kanawa International Market being handled by Integrated Development and Investment Services (IDIS) Limited.

The project, located at Dangwauro along Zaria road in the state capital, was conceived in order to de-congest Kwanar Singer and other major markets in Kano metropolis.

The contract was awarded by former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau in 2009 as partnership project with IDIS Limited on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) agreement.

A statement issued by the Director General, Media and Communications to the governor, Halilu Ibrahim Dantiye, stated that Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has also directed the company to refund the N460 million, which the government paid as compensation to the original land owners on which the project was sited, insisting that the government cannot afford to waste the amount because of the investor’s attitude.

According to the governor, the partner company, IDIS Limited and their collaborating bank had defaulted on the contractual agreement having abandoned and left the project at foundation level several years after it was awarded.

The statement said, “Government would soon unveil what it would do on the project site,” urging people of the state to expect another project that would earn revenue for the administration, in view of its dwindling resources.”