The Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance [APGA] Alhaji Sani Abdulahi Shinkafi has charged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC], the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission [ICPC] and the Nigerian Police Force to work as a team to recover the Zamfara Halal Hotel Abuja and recover N571, 814,637.43 belonging to the Zamfara State government from Alhaji Hassan Ahmed Danbaba (Magajin Garin Sokoto) over violation of the lease agreement he entered into with the state government ten years ago.
In a petition tagged as ‘an additional request to recover N950million unremitted funds belonging to Zamfara State Government in the last ten years as net revenue from its property Halal Hotel Abuja fraudulently converted to personal use by Alhaji Hassan Ahmad Danbaba, Magajin Garin Sokoto addressed to the Chairman of the EFCC, ICPC and the Inspector General of Police, Shinkafi stated that going by the records made available to the transition committee revealed that Danbaba has not paid a dime to the state government’s account for the past ten years.
According to him ‘Zamfara State Halal Hotel [Stone Hedge] situated at 104/kur Muhammad Avenue Street, Abuja Central Business District was acquired and developed 100% with funds from Zamfara State Government. In accordance with the Freedom of Information [FOI] 2011 we requested for the approval for the lease of Zamfara State Halal Hotel [Stone Hedge] Abuja from Zamfara State. The records reveal that it was former governor of Zamfara State Alhaji Mamuda Aliyu Shinkafi who approved the lease of the hotel to Danbaba, Bina Consult on October 7th, 2019 on the terms that the said Alhaji Hassan Ahmad Danbaba to take over the affairs of the Zamfara State Halal Hotel on lease for a period of twenty years as well as payment of N310million in two installments of N155million for the first five years and another N155million for the second five years.
‘Fifty per cent of the above amount will be added to the third and fourth payment in the second ten years totally N465million. All due process like tender, agreement for bidding to call for those in the industry to bid and takeover the management of the hotel were not followed in line with the Public Procurement Act 2007 was violated in the lease agreement between the Zamfara State Government and Alhaji Danbaba’ he added.
Shinkafi pointed out that ‘sequel to the report of the Transition Committee His Excellency Governor Bello Muhammad Matawalle constituted a Committee to investigate the lease agreement of Zamfara State Halal Abuja under the leadership of Alhaji Aminu Ahmad Nahuche who made the following recommendations;
‘That Zamfara State Government shall seek to recover the following from Alhaji Hassan Ahmad Danbaba Bina Consult, the sum of N261,814,637.43k being the cost of furniture supplied by the State government and taken over by BIna Consult at the inception of the agreement. The sum of N310million being the outstanding rent since the takeover of the Hotel for the past ten years. Bina Consult should pay all the outstanding bills, taxes, levies and all other liabilities incurred from suppliers, agencies and service providers. The state government shall take over the Hotel from Bina Consult since Alhaji Hassan Ahmad Danbaba has violated the lease agreement as contained in the approval’.
Shinkafi told Danbaba to concentrate on how to pay all the outstanding monies due to the Zamfara State government than engage in campaigns of calumy adding that ’rather than engaging in baseless allegations and insults Danbaba should think of how to pay back the moneies he is owing the Zamfara State government. The EFCC, ICPC and the Nigerian Police should work in sync to recover all these funds meant for Zamafara State government and its people and should not be used as tools in the hands of fraudulent businessman who is out to convert government property to personal use.
‘I am urging the agencies to undertake forensic audit of the books of accounts, cash inflows, bank statements of the hotel for the past ten years in order to establish or probe my petition regarding the outstanding rent in favour of Zamfara State. They should also help Zamfara State government to recover one of its prime assets from Danbaba to avoid him converting it to himself as private property’ he added.
0 Comments