• Gandujes not owners of Dala Inland Dry Port, says management

Former National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, is facing a fresh corruption case, as Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission launches an investigation into the alleged diversion of N4 billion state equity in Dala Inland Dry Port (DIDP).

However, the management of DIDP dismissed as false and malicious recent media reports linking the Ganduje family to the ownership of the company.

The N4 billion approved during the Ganduje administration as Kano governor was allegedly utilised in the award of a contract to provide infrastructure for the Inland Port project, The Guardian gathered.

The resource, which was converted to 20 per cent equity of the Kano government in the investment, was allegedly transferred to private individuals by the authority of Ganduje, thereby shortchanging the government of its nominal ownership right in the multi-million naira investment, an impeccable source revealed.

“The equity transfer effectively edged Kano out of the project’s ownership and positioned Ganduje’s children as directors and shareholders. As at the time the contract was awarded, the state was no longer a co-owner of the port,” a reliable source confirmed.

Credible sources at the anti-graft agency revealed to The Guardian investigation into alleged diversion of N4 billion at DIDP had been initiated following petitions received by the commission.

IN a statement, the Company Secretary, Adamu Sanda, said verifiable records from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and board resolutions showed that no member of the Ganduje family had ever been a shareholder, director or signatory at the firm.

“This claim is entirely false. You cannot ‘remove’ an entity that never existed as a shareholder or director in the first place,” the statement reads. “The repeated circulation of this falsehood appears to be part of a coordinated attempt to malign Ganduje’s reputation and sow confusion among the public.”

DIDP explained that the company was originally owned by Ahmad Rabi’u and associates, before he invited City Green Enterprises (CGE) to invest in the dormant project. Rabi’u later consolidated all shares in his name, resigned other directors, and sold 80 per cent to CGE, retaining 20 per cent for himself.

The company stressed that neither Kano government nor the Ganduje family featured anywhere in the transaction, which was duly filed with the CAC. The management also dismissed claims that the state government held a 20 per cent stake, clarifying that the state only provided infrastructure support through a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) intervention facilitated by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council.DIDP assured its partners and the public of its transparent operations, urging the public to disregard the “false and misleading” reports.