Kano Assembly Suspends LG Chairman

Kano State House of Assembly has suspended Muhammad Naziru, the chairman of Rano Local Government Area, for three months over alleged financial misappropriation.

Naziru was suspended after the House Committee on Public Petitions, chaired by the majority leader, Hon. Husseini Lawan, adopted a report at plenary yesterday .Presenting the report before the House, Lawan said the probe followed petitions by councillors in the area.

He said the petitioners accused the chairman of financial misappropriation, illegal shop sales, fund diversion, among other allegations.

While noting that the Local government chairman denied the allegations after appearing before the committee, he said the committee had applied the provisions of Section 125 of the Nigerian Constitution and Section 55 (paragraph 1–6) of the Kano State Local Government Law on the matter.

He further pointed out that the provision recommends that the House suspend the chairman for three months to allow for a full investigation into the matter, allowing the vice chairman to serve acting as the Local Government chairman.

In a related development, the House also approved the appointment of Saidu Yahya as the substantive chairman of the Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission(PCAC) for a five-year tenure.

Presenting a report of the public petition committee for screening of the nominee as requested by Governor Abba Yusuf, Majority leader of the House, Yahaya, who has a BSc in Economics, served as Chief Superintendent at ICPC, with over 18 years of experience in corruption investigation and numerous trainings at reputable institutions.

He said after reviewing his qualifications and experience, the committee found him suitable for the position.

After careful deliberations, the House adopted the committee’s recommendations to suspend the chairman and approve Yahya’s appointment.