By Uzair Adam
The Kano State Government has refuted claims that it secured a new external loan of $6.6 million under the current New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) administration.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Director General of the State Public Debt Management Office, Hamisu Sadi Ali, described the allegation as false and politically driven.
The claim was made by a group known as the APC Patriotic Volunteers, which alleged that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s government had taken a fresh loan within two years of assuming office—an allegation earlier reported by the Daily Nigerian on June 11, 2025.
Sadi Ali dismissed the report, insisting that the present administration had not contracted any new domestic or external loans since coming into power.
“Since the inception of the NNPP-led administration till today, the Kano State Government under the leadership of His Excellency Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf has not taken a single fresh loan,” he said.
He clarified that the government is still servicing loans inherited from the previous All Progressives Congress (APC) administration, which he described as a “wasted” eight-year period under former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
The debt office boss also criticised Usman Alhaji, the leader of the APC group and former Secretary to the State Government, questioning his understanding of the 2021 law that established the State Public Debt Management Office—a law signed during the APC administration.
“If he claims ignorance of the law, we must remind him of Section 4(b), which empowers the State Debt Management Office to borrow on behalf of the government—under strict procedures and documentation,” Sadi Ali said.
He challenged the group to provide verifiable evidence from the Federal Debt Management Office in Abuja to back their claims.
“They should provide the name of the creditor, the subsidiary loan agreement, the purpose of the loan, the amortisation schedule, and whether it is a multilateral or bilateral loan,” he added.
Sadi Ali emphasised that the public can now differentiate between facts and political propaganda, adding that Governor Yusuf remains committed to fulfilling his mandate without being distracted by baseless accusations.