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"Anyone Found Culpable Will Face Sanctions and Refund the Money": Kano Governor Orders SSG to Investigate Former HoS Over ₦1.5 Billion Salary Deductions, Vows Full Recovery
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State chose the platform of Workers' Day 2026 — before thousands of civil servants and labour leaders gathered at the Sani Abacha Stadium — to confront an allegation that had been simmering in the state's administrative corridors for weeks. Responding directly to a formal complaint raised by the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Kano State Chapter, Comrade Kabir Inuwa, the governor announced that he had directed the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Umar Farouq Ibrahim, to "set up a committee to investigate the alleged diversion of ₦1.5 billion levelled against the former Head of Service." The accused — Alhaji Abdullahi Musa — was recently relieved of his appointment and has since defected to the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), a detail that adds a layer of political intrigue to what is ostensibly an administrative probe. "Following the alleged deduction of ₦1.5 billion from workers' salaries by the former Head of Service, I hereby order an investigation into the allegation," Yusuf declared. "Anyone found culpable will face sanctions and be made to refund the money. This government is for you, and will work for you."
The governor's directive was unambiguous but its scope remains to be defined. He disclosed that the SSG has been instructed to constitute an investigative committee, though its membership and terms of reference are still forthcoming. The committee will be expected to trace the flow of the allegedly diverted funds and determine whether the deductions were authorised, and if so, under what authority and to what end. The former Head of Service, Abdullahi Musa, has not yet responded publicly to the allegations, which were first raised by the NLC. The union's state chairman, Kabir Inuwa, had used his May Day address to demand a "high‑power investigation committee" to unravel the circumstances surrounding the deductions, describing the issue as one that strikes at the heart of workers' trust in the administrative machinery of the state. "There is a need to set up a high‑power investigation committee to unravel the allegations of salary deductions of ₦1.5 billion from the state civil servants. Let anyone found wanting be brought to book after the investigation," Inuwa stated.
The Political Dimension: A Sacked HoS Who Defected to the ADC
The allegation against Abdullahi Musa does not exist in a political vacuum. New Telegraph reported that Musa, who was sacked by Governor Yusuf, has since defected to the ADC — the same party that has become the gathering point for Nigeria's most consequential opposition heavyweights. The timing of the defection — coming after his removal but before the investigation was announced — will inevitably colour the inquiry. The governor's supporters have already framed the alleged deductions as part of a broader pattern of administrative malfeasance that necessitated Musa's removal; Musa's defenders, conversely, may argue that the probe is politically motivated, designed to tarnish a former ally who has since crossed to the opposition. The SSG‑led committee will need to navigate this political terrain while maintaining the investigative rigour required to produce findings that can withstand both legal and public scrutiny. Whether the committee will operate with the transparency that labour has demanded — or whether its proceedings will remain opaque, fuelling further speculation — is a question that will be answered in the weeks ahead.
The Broader Context: N32bn Cleared, N16bn Remaining, and a ₦71,000 Minimum Wage
Yusuf also used his May Day platform to outline a broader package of labour‑friendly reforms that, taken together, position Kano as one of the more progressive states on workers' welfare. He disclosed that his administration inherited over ₦48 billion in unpaid gratuities and death benefits from the previous administration of Abdullahi Ganduje — a staggering liability that had left thousands of retirees and bereaved families in financial limbo for years. Through a phased approach involving six tranches of disbursement, the government has now cleared ₦32 billion, with the most recent tranche of ₦5 billion released in early April 2026. "Alhamdulillah, we have been able to offset ₦32 billion out of the ₦48 billion we inherited from the previous administration, and by the grace of God, the ₦16 billion will be cleared before the end of this tenure," Yusuf said. "As of May 2023, we inherited ₦48 billion in retirees' gratuities and death benefits. We have paid ₦27 billion in five tranches, and with the release of ₦5 billion as the sixth tranche, the total now stands at ₦32 billion."
Beyond the pension reforms, the governor highlighted several other measures: the implementation of a ₦71,000 minimum wage — making Kano one of the first states to adopt the new national wage structure — prompt salary payments, the establishment of the Local Government Service Commission, retirement training programmes, and an increase in the minimum pension from ₦5,000 to ₦20,000. The NLC chairman, in his remarks, commended the administration for its "worker‑friendly policies, particularly the settlement of pension backlogs and regular payment of salaries," while reiterating the need for transparency in addressing the allegations against the former HoS. Inuwa also appealed to the government to address disparities between state and local government workers and improve overall working conditions in the state. The governor, for his part, described labour as the "engine room of governance and development," adding that workers' welfare — including mental well‑being, job security and fair remuneration — remains critical to enhancing productivity.
A Probe That Must Deliver
The investigation into the alleged ₦1.5 billion salary deductions is not merely an accounting exercise. It is a test of the Yusuf administration's willingness to enforce accountability within its own administrative structures — and of its ability to do so without the probe being dismissed as a political witch‑hunt. The former HoS's defection to the ADC has complicated the narrative, but the substance of the allegation — that workers' earnings were systematically deducted without authorisation — remains the question that the SSG‑led committee must answer. The NLC has demanded a thorough investigation. The governor has ordered one. The committee has yet to be constituted. And the workers whose salaries were allegedly deducted — the civil servants who filled the Sani Abacha Stadium on Friday — are waiting for the accountability that the governor has promised them. The probe is a necessary step; the verdict, when it arrives, will determine whether it was also a credible one.
Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for continuing coverage of governance, labour accountability and fiscal reform across Kano State.
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