The Kano State Government has dismissed allegations of financial misconduct against the immediate past Head of Service, Abdullahi Musa, insisting that claims of mismanagement of ₦1.8 billion were false and misleading.
The clarification was issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, during a Dinner and Award Night organized in collaboration with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) at the Government House, Kano.
The development followed a directive by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf during the May Day celebrations, where he instructed a full investigation into allegations raised by the Kano State Chairman of the NLC, Comrade Kabiru Inuwa, who had accused the former Head of Service of mismanaging state funds.
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According to a statement by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mustapha Muhammad, the state government launched a detailed review process immediately after the directive, engaging a professional auditing firm to examine the payroll system and financial records of affected civil servants.
As part of the investigation, the government temporarily suspended the state-backed loan scheme to enable a comprehensive audit of deductions made from workers’ salaries.
Findings from the audit revealed that the ₦1.8 billion in question was not misappropriated by any government official, but instead represented excessive and unauthorized deductions by private loan vendors operating within the civil service loan system.
The auditors reportedly established that several loan providers charged civil servants amounts far beyond the agreed terms, resulting in unlawful deductions totaling over ₦1.8 billion.
Following the findings, the SSG disclosed that the government has directed all implicated loan vendors to refund the full amount, which will be returned to affected workers.
The state government emphasized that the decision underscores its commitment to transparency, accountability, and the protection of workers’ welfare.
Officials further noted that the intervention reflects the administration’s broader reform agenda aimed at sanitizing financial practices within the civil service and ensuring that public employees are not subjected to exploitative deductions.
The government assured workers that measures are being strengthened to prevent a recurrence and to ensure stricter regulation of third-party financial services linked to salary structures in the state.