The Kano State House of Assembly has suspended the chairman of Rano Local Government, Muhammad Nazir Yau, for three months to allow for investigation into allegations of misconduct, abuse of office and misappropriation of funds levelled against him by his councillors.

The suspension followed submission of an interim report of the House Committee on Public Petition headed by the House Majority Leader, Hussaini Lawan Cediyar Yangurasa, during plenary on Wednesday.

The Assembly asked the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to direct the vice chairman of the council to assume duty as the acting chairman, pending conclusion of investigation into the allegations.

Some of the allegations levelled against the chairman include deliberate instigation of conflict and disunity among political leaders and councillors in the local council; engaging in divisive political activities by selectively distributing government resources only to his political allies; selective distribution of Dangote school forms, GES fertiliser and government fertiliser, selling above the N20,000 approved by the government without the councillors knowledge; mismanagement and non-transparent handling of revenue from markets, cattle levies and other income; unauthorised sale and allocation of market stalls, newly constructed shops without the knowledge of Rano legislative council and insulting and disrespecting party elders and other stakeholders as well as misuse of local government funds.

The committee had sat with the two parties on Tuesday, August 11 where the chairman dismissed some of the allegations as baseless, admitting however that he increased the price of fertiliser by N2,000 above the approved price of N20,000.

The committee relying on the Section 55(1-6) of the Local Government Law 2006 affirmed Yau?s suspension to allow for full investigation.

The committee also directed that all finance and administrative records of the council be submitted to it within seven days.

The Assembly at Wednesday plenary presided over by Speaker Ismail Falgore adopted the committee?s recommendations. (Daily Trust)

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