A Civil Society Organisation (CSO), Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative, has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take more than passing interest in recent development in Kano state under Governor Abba Yusuf’s administration.
The group call is on the heels of the demolition of structures in the North West state by the new administration.
Checks revealed that the government has demolished a three-storey building with 90 shops on a race course at the Nasarawa GRA, and the Daula Hotel, a three-star hotel reconstructed by the Ganduje administration under a Private Public Partnership (PPP) arrangement.
The government also demolished another structure, Hajj Campa sold to private individuals by the immediate past administration of the state.
Defending its actions, Governor Yusuf said government property and lands in commercial areas in the ancient city were illegally sold by the immediate past administration of Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, National Coordinator of the Civil Society group, Comrade Okpokwu Ogenyi, called on the federal government to make necessary interventions to halt the demolition which it noted could instigate civil unrest in the state.
Describing the demolition as inhuman activity, Comrade Ogenyi said thousands of people have been displaced with the government paying no attention to their sufferings.
He said “The last three weeks have become a hell in Kano State with a cry in almost every home within the metropolis. Governor Abba Yusuf has become a shadow of good governance, even his supporters are no longer proud of him because of his inhuman action against the people of Kano State.
“How can a Governor of less than a week old demolished property worth over two hundred and six billion naira without studying the process talk more of compensation of the property owners? The Government claimed that the previous administration allocated government lands to individuals and corporate bodies, is it not the responsibility of the government to allocate lands? The land use act says individuals own no land, all land belongs to the government. What is the offence of the citizens who genuinely acquired land from the government?
“If it is true that the previous administration of Kano State illegally allocated these plots, why not call the immediate past Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje to answer questions and if possible charge him to Court instead of destroying property built by innocent Nigerians who applied for land and were allocated same by the state government. Is government no longer a continuous process? Most of these individuals got loans and invested them in Kano only to face this kind of devastating situation. How do you expect them to survive?
“We believed that the situation in Kano if not called to order is capable of causing unrest which may affect the whole country. Something must be done urgently to stop this. We call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to quickly intervene and call Governor Abba Yusuf to order to stop further illegal demolition of the property leading to loss of lives in the state.
“We also call on the International Community to come to the aid of the people and investors in Kano State by prevailing on Governor Abba Yusuf to stop the demolition forthwith. Mr Kwankwaso who is the leader of the Governor is silent over the inhuman activities currently ongoing in Kano State, a bad signal that he is also part of the demolition plot, if he is not, we call on him to exonerate himself by joining religious leaders and other prominent Nigerians in condemning the evil act.
“We are making this appeal in the National Interest because we know the implications of any possible crisis in Kano state is the most populous state in Nigeria. If the misgovernance of Governor Abba Yusuf leads to a crisis in Kano state (God forbid) it will affect negatively the whole of Nigeria. That’s why we are calling for voices of reasoning now, not only to call Governor Abba Yusuf to order but to prevail on him to quickly reverse his actions by calling all the affected persons to a roundtable for amicable resolutions.
“We hereby give Governor Yusuf seventy-two hours ultimatum to retract himself and stop the ongoing demolition, call the affected persons and group for proper compensation or face legal action.
“We shall continue to engage the Kano State Government until justice is served.”
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