Ganduje’s family has no interest in Inland Dala dry port – Management

The management of Dala Inland Dry Port (DidP) has strongly refuted recent media reports alleging that family members of the immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje are shareholders of the company.

Management said the allegations, as reported, do not reflect the true ownership, structure or governance of the company and rejected claims that the Kano State Government holds a 20% stake in the company.

Reacting through a statement signed by company secretary, Barr. Adamu Aliyu Sandra, on Wednesday and made available to newsmen in Abuja, also states that equity contributions from stakeholders are clearly documented, duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and subject to routine oversight.

While assuring its stakeholders, partners and the public that the company conducted all its affairs in a transparent manner, the statement described the reports as false and misleading.

“This claim is completely false. Records verified by CAC official board resolutions clearly show that no member of the Ganduje family has ever been a shareholder, director or signatory in the Dala Inland Dry Port.

The company was originally owned and operated by Ahmad Rabi’u and his associates before inviting City Green Enterprises (CGE) to invest in the project after years of dormancy.

“Prior to the sale, Rabi’u consolidated all shares into his name after obtaining letters of resignation from other directors, including his son. CGE subsequently purchased 80% of the company, while Mr Rabiu retained 20%, which he did not pay in full.

“The settlement was properly presented to the CAC, and at no point did it include the Kano State Government or any member of the Ganduje family.”

On the allegation that Ganduje’s children were allocated five million shares each in an “ordinary resolution” meeting, creating a new ownership structure with five equal shareholders, the statement said: “This claim is a fabrication.

“The purported resolution document is not authentic. It was single-handedly written and signed by Ahmad Rabi’u without the consent or knowledge of the other directors. The company’s official records at the CAC make no reference to such a resolution and there is no legal or corporate evidence to support the existence of any allotment of shares to Dr. Ganduje’s sons.

“This forged document is one of several acts of mischief engineered by Rabi’u in a desperate attempt to politicize a private business matter following his removal as CEO for poor performance and financial mismanagement.

“Contrary to board practice where all resolutions are prepared by the board secretary and signed by two directors or chairman and secretary of the board, Ahmad Rabiu single-handedly wrote the resolution and signed it.”

Reacting to the allegation that the Kano State Government holds a 20 % stake in the hinterland dry port of Dala.

The company secretary said: “This allegation is equally false. The Kano State Government has never owned equity in the Dala Dry Port in the hinterland. The only state involvement has come through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) support provided at the request of the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) to facilitate the revival of the port project and promote economic growth in Kano.

“A letter of appreciation has been issued by the NSC in response to the provision of critical infrastructure in the development of the proposed inland dry port site in Zawaciki.

“The CSR assistance, by definition, does not constitute equity or ownership. It was purely developmental support aimed at benefiting traders, companies and logistics operators in the state.”

Speaking on allegations that Kano State Government interest was represented on the board of directors of the company by one Abdullahi Haruna, aka Director in Kano State Government Work, Sandra described the claim as false.

“This is another false statement. There has never been any record of the said officer with respect to the company, such person has never existed or been known to the company in all its dealings. The officer in question had also never attended any meeting nor involved in any official business of the board of directors.”

Sandra also clarified the claim that Ganduje’s family or the Kano State Government were subsequently “removed” as shareholders from the company, saying “This claim is a baseless fabrication. You cannot ‘remove’ an entity that never existed as a shareholder or in the first place.

“The repeated circulation of this falsehood appears to be part of a coordinated attempt to smear Dr. Ganduje’s reputation and sow confusion among the public.”