A new report has revealed that the immediate past national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, secretly transferred the Kano state government’s 20 percent stake in the Dala Inland Dry Port Limited to his children and a close associate before awarding a multi-billion naira contract to provide infrastructure for the project.
Ganduje, the current board chairman of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, served as the governor of Kano State from 2015 to 2023.
The transfer edged Kano state out of ownership of the port and positioned Mr Ganduje’s children as directors and shareholders.
Shortly after the transfer, Ganduje, then governor, approved a contract worth more than N4 billion for works that were originally the state’s responsibility under its equity agreement.
Kano acquired 20 percent equity in the dry port in 2006 under former governor Ibrahim Shekarau, while Ahmad Rabiu, a businessman, retained 80 percent.
Company records seen by Premium Times show that on March 5, 2020, Abdulaziz, Umar, and Muhammad Ganduje, the ex-governor’s children, alongside Abubakar Bawuro, a longtime associate, replaced previous directors and were each allotted 20 percent of shares.
The restructuring edged out Kano state, which was originally an equity partner.
On July 7, 2020, less than three weeks after the Nigerian Shippers’ Council appealed to Kano to provide infrastructure at the port, Ganduje awarded a N2.3 billion contract to FRI Construction Company Limited. Sources said the contract was later reviewed upward to more than N4 billion.
Two years later, filings at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) indicated that the Ganduje children had transferred their shares to Mr Bawuro, who now controls 80 percent of the company, with Mr Rabiu holding the remaining 20 percent.
The current administration of Governor Abba Yusuf has rejected the ownership changes, insisting that official records still list Kano as a shareholder.
Bashir Uba, Director of Investment at the Ministry of Commerce, said the government never initiated a divestment process.
“At no time did the state indicate interest in divesting its shares in the Dala Inland Dry Port,” he said.