IT has become increasingly disheartening to witness the recent attempts by the political allies of the immediate past Deputy Governor, Comrade Aminu Abdulsalam Gwarzo, to distort the public’s understanding of the “Novomed Saga.”
In a clumsy effort to shield their principal from the mounting scrutiny surrounding the multi-billion naira drug contract scandal, these allies have resorted to a strategy of selective disclosure that is as insulting to the intelligence of Kano citizens as it is legally bankrupt. By circulating a fragment of an executive memo specifically, the final page bearing an approval for expenditure they believe they have provided a “defense.” In reality, they have only provided a roadmap for their own indictment.
Let it be clear to the public and to the architects of this diversionary campaign: an approval to incur expenditure is not a blank check to bypass the law. Under the Kano State Public Procurement Law, 2022, which serves as the bedrock for financial probity in our state, the process of awarding a contract is governed by stringent requirements. The public is owed the full truth, not a curated snippet.
The “defense” mounted by Comrade Gwarzo’s allies fails the test of basic governance for several reasons. First, where is the documentation of the competitive bidding process? Where is the evidence of advertisement in national dailies? Where is the report of the Ministerial Tenders Board that recommended Novomed as the most qualified, value-for-money supplier?
For the record, I am privileged to prove to the people of Kano State that there is nowhere in the memo where the name of Novomed was recommended to His Excellency, as evidenced by the full copy of the memo hereby attached. The former Deputy Governor shall therefore need to devise another means of defense, as this current attempt is a case of “dead on arrival.”
Furthermore, to use the Governor’s approval to spend as a justification for directing local governments to make payments to a specific vendor without a competitive tender is a textbook case of administrative fraud. It reflects a fundamental misunderstanding, or a willful disregard, of the duties inherent in public office. As a former Commissioner of Education for Kano State, I understand that a Commissioner’s duty is to ensure the Governor’s approvals are implemented within the ambit of the law, not to use them as a shield for illicit procurement.
Governance is not a game of hide-and-seek. If there was nothing to hide, the entire memo, including the procurement history and the vendor selection criteria, would have been made public long ago. Instead, we see a desperate scramble to distract the citizenry from the reality of the ongoing investigations—investigations that have already ensnared top officials of the ministry.
It is particularly instructive to observe the hypocrisy of this defense. This is the same individual who previously leveled baseless, undocumented accusations against me regarding the alleged construction of shops along the perimeter fence of Chiranci Primary School in 2022. Despite my repeated challenges for him to produce a single shred of evidence to support his claims, he failed to do so, opting instead for a smear campaign over the presentation of facts. Now, as God would have it, a much broader and more indicting allegation of misappropriation of public funds and betrayal of trust hangs around his own neck.
Comrade Aminu Abdulsalam Gwarzo, as a former Deputy Governor and current gubernatorial candidate, should be the first to champion transparency and the rule of law. It is beneath the dignity of his office and his current aspirations to have his associates peddle such amateurish and deceptive narratives. He must now come out openly to either deny or accept these charges and offer an apology to the Governor, whom we feel he has betrayed, and to the good people of Kano.
If this contract was awarded with integrity, then the documentation of that integrity should be easily produced. The fact that his allies choose instead to rely on fragmented paperwork confirms only one thing: that the “Novomed Saga” is not merely a policy disagreement, but a clear-cut case of betrayal of the public trust.
The people of Kano State deserve leaders who understand that public office is a stewardship, not an opportunity for personal enrichment. We will continue to demand the full, unredacted disclosure of all documents pertaining to this contract, and we will not be deterred by the smokescreens of those who fear the light of accountability.
– Kiru, FCIA is Former Commissioner for Education, Kano State
