The Kano State Government has challenged Tracka to provide evidence to support its claim that more than N235 million was allocated in the 2025 budget for the construction of classrooms at Government Girls’ Secondary School, Massu, in Sumaila Local Government Area.
The state Commissioner for Information, Comrade Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, dismissed the allegation as baseless at a press conference on Monday, insisting that neither the state’s budget documents nor records of the Kano State Executive Council contained any project with such an allocation.
Waiya said there was also no evidence that the alleged N235 million had been released or paid, or that the project had been executed.
He said the state’s fourth-quarter 2025 budget implementation report did not indicate any payment or execution of the project as alleged by the civil society organisation.
According to him, the Kano State 2025 budget was N719.557 billion, out of which N168.350 billion was allocated to the education sector.
He explained that the education allocation covered school renovations, recruitment of teachers, provision of teaching and learning materials, security and the implementation of major education projects across the state’s 44 local government areas.
Waiya said, “There is no project named GGSSS Massu, Sumaila, with an allocation of over N235 million in the 2025 budget or in the approval documents of the Kano State Executive Council.”
The commissioner stressed that government projects were subjected to assessment and due process before implementation, adding that the administration would not compromise established procedures in the execution of public projects.
He, however, disclosed that the state Ministry of Education and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) had commenced investigations into education projects in Sumaila Local Government Area.
Waiya said the findings of the investigation would be made public after its completion.
He challenged Tracka and other civil society organisations to substantiate the allegation by producing the specific budget page on which the claim was based, the project identification number and evidence of contract award.
He also demanded evidence of payment, the name of the alleged contractor and details of the monitoring visit reportedly conducted by the organisation at Massu.
Waiya said providing the documents would enable the government and members of the public to independently verify the claim and establish the facts surrounding the alleged N235 million project.
The commissioner reiterated the government’s commitment to transparency and accountability in the management of public funds, saying legitimate concerns over public expenditure would be addressed through evidence-based investigations.