PHOTOS: How Gov. Ganduje allegedly reject federal constituency project in his home town

By Muhammed Yakubu On Oct 8, 2021

The feud between Kano state Governor Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and member representing his hometown Dawakin Tofa, Tofa and Rimingado Federal Constituency Engr. Tijjani Abdulkadir Jobe has continued to generate political tensions in Kano as the governor vehemently opposed the construction of modern classrooms in various primary and secondary schools in the area.

Engr. Jobe as the chairman house committee on rural development in the house of representatives has sought for various constituency projects worth over a billion naira to his constituents ranging from water infrastructure, road construction, electricity facilities, youth empowerment, health and educational infrastructure in the three Local governments he represents.

In what may be viewed as playing a bad politics, Governor Ganduje became jittery on the numerous development projects due to the fact that a battle line has been drawn between the two political giants as the Governor is believed to be making move to replace Tijjani Jobe with his most favourite son Engr. Umar Abdullahi Ganduje (Abba) in 2023.

Sources close to the first family confirmed that the decision to field Abba Ganduje as APC’s candidate for Dawakin Tofa federal constituency created intra-family chaos with his first son Abdul’aziz Abdullahi Ganduje who was the initial person to express his interest to contest but the first lady Prof. Hafsat Gauyama Ganduje overruled the decision in favour of Abba, a staff of the National Communications Commission who has been on leave of absence in the last two years to support his father run the affairs of Kano.

Solacebase recalls that Abdul’aziz Ganduje was the petitioner that dragged his mother and the governor’s wife, Dr. Hafsat Ganduje to EFCC over alleged land scam and fraud.

In the early hours of Thursday, 7th October, Chairman, Dawakin Tofa Local Government Alhaji Ado Tambai Kwana and LGEA Education Secretary Malam Ado Yahaya Kwa had implemented an alleged order of the Governor to stop contractors from one of the sites in Government Girls Arabic Secondary School Dawakin Tofa(GGASS Shonikan) located opposite the Local Government secretariat in Dawaki town, where they evicted the technicians working on the site that was commissioned on Wednesday rep member and threatened the school principal not to allow anyone to erect a structure in the school.

However, this action annoyed the community members who trooped out to protest the move to stall the renovation of the school and threatened to create chaos.

This frightened the Council Chairman as the residents mobilized and ensured that the ongoing renovation does not stop

When contacted, the rep member, Tijjani Abdulkadir Jobe told Solacebase that the renovation of the blocks of classrooms in the school was the demand of the community in line with his constituency project.

He said the blocks of classrooms constructed since 1991 has never been renovated ever since.

Jobe said, the project in GGASS Dawaki has a designed of six well furnished modern classrooms at a cost of over fifty million naira, N50m.

‘’We are demolishing the old structure and rebuilding it all over. As I speak with you before the reconstruction, some of the classrooms are overstretched with more than 230 pupils.’’

‘’The people within Dawakin Tofa town complained to me and requested for support which I promised them to attend to.’’

‘’So we are reconstructing the block of classroom with an office and furnishing. However, the governor said he is not interested in it, hence the work should stop.’’

When asked on why he stopped the contractor from the construction work, Dawakin Tofa Local Government Council Chairman, Alhaji Ado Tambai Kwa, said the classroom construction has noting to do with him as the issue has to do with the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

Solacebase later contacted SUBEB Chairman, Dr Danlami Hayyo on the issue who said that same school has been earmarked for renovation by the board and the exercise will commence on Monday.

‘’How can someone start renovation of a school without our knowledge? We were not contacted before they started any renovation on the school, ‘’said Dr. Hayyo.

Efforts to speak with the governor’s chief press secretary, Abba Anwar was not successful as his phone was off. Similarly, call placed to Government House Director General, Media and Publicity, Aminu Yaseer phone was not attended to.

It could be recalled that Governor Ganduje had in 2020 also rejected a road construction project worth over two hundred million naira in Gulu town, Rimingado local government area sponsored by Engr. Tijjani Jobe as part of the rural access initiative of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development but with the intervention of the then Minister Alh. Sabo Nanono, the project has seen the light of the day.