The Jigawa State government has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, PCACC, to investigate the status of some of the legacy assets it received when the state was carved out of Kano in 1991.
In separate letters signed by the state commissioner for special duties, Auwal Sankara, the government asked the anti-graft agencies to determine the status of two lands and six GP [Government Property] houses within the state.
While lamenting the delay in accessing the properties, Mr Sankara said several efforts by successive administrations ended in futility.
He said: “As you may be aware, Jigawa State was created from the old Kano State in 1991. Following the creation of Jigawa State, there was an asset sharing exercise between the Kano State and Jigawa State Governments.
“However, it is disheartening to note that the issue of asset sharing has been a protracted one, despite several efforts made by Jigawa State to amicably resolve the matter.
“In this regard, I would like to draw your attention to the assets that are still pending and require your intervention.
“The assets in question include a plot of land with plot number 133 part of TP/UDB/173 at Farm Centre, as well as the following GP houses allocated to Jigawa State: GP 447 Suleiman Crescent, GP 897 Maiduguri Road, GP 982 Maiduguri Road, GP 891 Maiduguri Road, GP 827 Sokoto Road, and GP 874 Sharada,” the letter partly reads.
He recalled that the assets were allocated to Jigawa State during the asset sharing exercise on May 5, 1993, through an agreement signed between the then governors of Kano and Jigawa states, Kabir Gaya and Ali Sa’ad Birnin Kudu, respectively.
Mr Sankara said: “We have made several attempts to resolve this matter with the Kano State Government through correspondence, but the issue remains unresolved.
“Therefore, we kindly request the EFCC to investigate the status of the aforementioned assets and compel the Kano State Government to hand over the first batch of seven GP houses to Jigawa State Government.
While appealing to the anti-graft agencies to fast track their investigations, Mr Sankara stressed that the successful resolution of the dispute would promote inter-state cooperation and restore the trust and confidence of the Jigawa State Government in the asset sharing process.
