How Emir Sanusi II acquired 2 bullet-proof cars for N142.8m – Kano Emirate Council

It was a case of the hunter being hunted on Monday as the Kano State Emirate Council rose in defence of the huge expenditure incurred by the Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammadu Sanusi II, since he assumed office in 2014.

The Emirate Council said that Sanusi spent only N4.31 billion on various projects be­tween June 8, 2014 and April 11, 2017 – rather than N6 bil­lion as allegedly in some quar­ters.

Among the major expen­ditures were the acquisition of palace furniture, bullet-proof cars, telephone calls, flight tick­ets and posh cars for the Emir’s convoys.

The spokesman of the Emirate Council, Alhaji Mahe Bashir Wali, who is the Walin Kano, told a press conference on Monday at the Palace that Emir Sanusi II did not meet N4 billion in the coffers of the Kano Emirate when he ascended the throne.

Sanusi had during the last days of former President Good­luck Jonathan told Nigerians and the rest of the world that $20 bil­lion oil revenue was missing from the coffers of the Federal Govern­ment. He was then the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Although he later put the fig­ure at $10 billion, Jonathan’s op­ponents used the disclosure of the former CBN boss against him during the 2015 presidential elec­tion which he eventually lost.

But three years after, Sanu­si is facing strong allegations of mismanaging the Kano Emir­ate Council’s funds. With the del­uge of complaints from his sub­jects, the state anti-graft agency has quizzed some top officials of the Emirate Council.

The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commis­sion has invited senior members of the Emirate Council for ques­tioning and to provide details on how the finances of the Palace had been run under Emir Sanusi II.

Rising in defence of Sanusi at the press conference, Wali said that the clarification was prompt­ed by the avalanche of allegations from the social media and a se­ries of petitions from individuals accusing the Emir and the Emir­ate Council of financial misappro­priation.

The Walin Kano denied alle­gations that Sanusi inherited N4 billion from the late Emir of Kano, His Highness, Alhaji Ado Abdul­lahi Bayero.

This is coming on the heels of allegations that the Palace engaged in “reckless” spending since Emir Sanusi assumed office.

According to him, Sanusi in­herited only N1.893 billion as against N4 billion claimed by the petitioners against the monarch.

He said: “Before the appoint­ment of His Highness, the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, the Kano Emirate Council had the sum of N2.875 billion in various banks in fixed deposit accounts, out of which N981.784 million was withdrawn and used during the time of the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero on 7/2/2014 for the payment of Ado Bayero Royal City Project, leaving a bal­ance of N1.893 billion with vari­ous banks.”

Wali disclosed that about N152.627 million was paid to Dabo Gate for the procurement of furniture for the Palace, add­ing that, “after the demise of Ado Bayero, all his belongings, includ­ing the furniture were removed and distributed to his heirs in ac­cordance with Islamic injunction.”

“The sum of N108 million was also paid to the heirs of the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Baye­ro, by the Emirate Council in re­spect of his personal cars inherited by the present Emir of Kano, Mu­hammadu Sanusi II. The cars now form part of Kano Emirate Coun­cil fleet of vehicles in the Palace.”

Wali described as untrue al­legations that the Emirate spent N15.458 million on travels. He said that the money was used for the construction and renovation of Fadancin Dare wing of the Pal­ace.

The Walin Kano, however, admitted that the Emirate Coun­cil raised two vouchers of N6.993 million and N5.560 million, total­ling N12.559 million to Western Union being the cost of air tickets for the Emir’s entourage, “exclud­ing the Emir who used to pay for his tickets.”

He denied the allegations that the Emirate Council spent bil­lions of naira on chartered flights, adding that the Emirate Council chartered flights only twice for the Emir’s movement to Sokoto and Benin City.

Wali said: “The Council char­tered planes only twice for His Highness for the following trips: In September 2014 to Sokoto when the Emir paid a tradition­al homage (Mubaya’a) to the Sul­tan of Sokoto after his turbaning as Emir of Kano and the Council spent N4.651 million.”

“In January 2015 to Benin for his installation as Chancellor of University of Benin and it cost the Emirate Council N9. 071 mil­lion. All the trips were made as a result of lack of scheduled flights at that time to make these important and historical trips and it cost the Council the sum of N13.722 mil­lion as against the alleged N9.071 million”.

The Emirate Council chief also revealed that two bulletproof cars were purchased for the Emir at a cost of N142.8 million, but insisted that the acquisition of the vehicles was based on the advice and approval of the state govern­ment.

“This was as a result of an at­tack on the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, on his way back from Murtala Muhammad Mosque to the Palace,” he said.

Wali hinted that the sum of N154.8 million was paid for the purchase and replacement of ve­hicles which were destroyed when the late Emir’s convoy was attacked by Boko Haram insurgents on his way back from the Murtala Mu­hammad Mosque to the Palace.

The Emirate Council insisted that the two Rolls Royce cars for Emir Sanusi II were bought for him by his friends.

On the N37.05 million spent on phone calls by the monarch, the Emirate Council said: “It is true that the sum of N37,054, 192.06 was paid to Airtel due to the fact that the Emir has been identified with only one local mo­bile phone which he uses within and outside the country.

“The majority of the charges are for roaming which are normal. The telephone bills of the Palace are offset by the Council, particu­larly when it comes within the provision of the budget.”

He said that the Council re­ceived the sum of N1.727 billion as grants from the state govern­ment between August 30, 2014 and March 1, 2017, “over and above the alleged figure of N1.672 billion.”

“The Emirate Council should have received almost triple of this amount, in accordance with the law establishing Emirate Council fund of 2004,” he said.

Wali said that “from 2012 till date, the Council has been denied of this contribution where the sum of N1.142 billion was spread and released over a period of two years i.e. 2014 and 2015.

“From 2016 till date, the con­tribution started to improve from the average of N23 million per month to N40 million and the Council received the sum of N585 million within 13 months.

“This amount covered the period of 2013 and part of 2014 which brings the sum of N1.727 billion as total amounts re­ceived between 30/07/2014 to 01/03/2017 as earlier mentioned. From our calculations, between January 2012 and September 2016 the sum of N6.527 billion has been held by the state gov­ernment,” Wali said.