Kano alleges $1m scholarship ‘scam’ against Kwankwaso

Kano state government said it has discovered the sum of $1Million allegedly paid by former Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to a University in Ukraine where no Kano State student was presently studying on scholarship as claimed by the ex governor. The Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje on Higher Education, Dr. Hussaini Akilu Jarma made the disclosure yesterday during the inauguration of the State Scholarship Disbursement Committees (SSDC). Dr. Jarma added that the questionable payment was made by former Governor Kwankwaso as part of his foreign scholarship program which the state government has since discovered that it has no students studying in Ukraine. Similarly, given details of the alleged diversion of the $1Million United State Dollars,Chief Press Secretary to Kano state Governor, Alh. Abba Anwar said investigation reveals that the $1Million US dollars was taken out of Kano state treasury and taken away to Ukraine but that the money was abandoned in an account which the present administration has just discovered. “No student, accordingly to Alhaji Anwar from Kano is presently studying in Ukraine. The money was sent unattended and un-utilized. The present administration of Governor Ganduje, he noted has zero tolerance for corruption and will do all in its power to recover this money”. Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje who was personally present at the ceremony blasted his former boss for incurring debt of over 4billion Naira to the state through his foreign scholarship program which was not properly planned. When he took over in 2015, accordingly to him, he was told that the past administration paid all money made for students that where studying abroad but when they conducted an investigation they discovered that the statement was false and his government did all it could for the students to finish their studies. He complained that while other states withdrew their students studying abroad due to the high cost of their school fees and other expenses Kano state government decided to allow its students who were already studying abroad to finish their programs despite of the huge cost.