The Kano State Government has denied allegations of borrowing N177 billion, clarifying instead that it has repaid over N63 billion in debts under the current administration.
In an interactive session with journalists in Kano, Dr. Hamisu Sadi Ali, the Director General of the Kano State Debt Management Office, addressed recent claims published by an online news outlet. The outlet alleged that Kano State, under Governor Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, had secured a N177 billion loan from France. Dr Ali dismissed this as “malicious and politically motivated,” stressing that the claims are completely unfounded.
“Our attention was drawn to a misleading report by an online newspaper, falsely asserting that the Kano State Government received N177 billion as a loan from France under Governor Yusuf’s administration,” Dr Ali said. “This information is categorically false.”
He explained that according to the Kano State Public Debt Management Law of 2021, any government borrowing, whether from individuals or institutions, must go through the State’s Public Debt Management Office. He emphasized that no loans have been signed, contracted, or received by the current administration, either domestically or internationally, since its inception on May 29, 2023.
Dr Ali attributed the confusion to a loan agreement signed by the previous administration under Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje in July 2018. This loan of approximately 64 million Euros was for the Third National Urban Water Sector Reform Project with the French Development Agency. He questioned how a loan agreement from 2018 could be mistaken as a recent transaction under the current administration.
Dr Ali urged the public to disregard the “false, politically driven reports” circulating in the media. He further highlighted that the current administration has prioritized debt reduction, paying off approximately N3.49 billion in external debts and N60.02 billion in domestic debts, totalling N63.5 billion in the first and second quarters of 2024. As a result, the state’s overall debt burden has been reduced to approximately N127.79 billion, covering both domestic and foreign liabilities.
“This demonstrates our administration’s commitment to reducing the debt burden on Kano State,” Dr. Ali concluded.
