By Bashir Mohammed Kano
Chairman of the Kano state Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission, Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado, has said that the antigraft body “is still investigating an alleged gross scam in the state’s overseas scholarship programme.” Immediate past governor of the state, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, sponsored no less than 2,000 indigenes to study abroad in 2013, but some sharp practices were allegedly uncovered under the programme. Th e Commission recently uncovered alleged fraud to the tune of $650,000 as kick back given to former Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, and former permanent Secretary , Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, by one Th amer A. Kazamel, the Executive Offi cer of one Deltamed Group in Mansoura, Egypt. Recal that the Commission a few months ago seized a hospital, New Age Hospital, belonging to the former health commissioner in connection with the alleged scam.
Addressing journalists in his offi ce yesterday, Rimingado said Kazamel was a consultant who served as an agent that facilitated the admission of the Kano students at El-Mansoura University in Egypt. Rimingado said since the alleged scam was uncovered, some people who were directly or indirectly benefi ting from the funds were making frantic eff ort to ensure status quo was maintained in order to cover their atrocities. He debunked the rumour posted on the social media page of one of the suspects that had been exonerated by the commission,
adding that none of the b suspects was exonerated and investigation had reached 90% stage of completion. “Th e attention of the commission has been drawn on the negative comments headed by some people believed to be sympathisers of the former commissioner, claiming that he had been exonerated, and that his hospital, seized by the Commission in line with Section 40 the state’s Public Complaint and Anti-corruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended) was declared illegally,” he said.
