After gulping N2.5bn, Kano’s mass transit buses left to waste

Rapid urbanisation and economic growth have caused an increase in traffic congestion and pollution in parts of Kano State. These issues continue to affect mobility in Nigeria’s most populous state which also has no mass transportation. To address these challenges, the Kano State government, under the immediate past administration of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, in […]

Rapid urbanisation and economic growth have caused an increase in traffic congestion and pollution in parts of Kano State. These issues continue to affect mobility in Nigeria’s most populous state which also has no mass transportation. To address these challenges, the Kano State government, under the immediate past administration of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, in October 2022 launched a mass transit scheme aimed at providing efficient, affordable, and safe public transportation along major corridors in the state’s metropolis.  Ganduje, now the national chairman of the All-Progressives Congress (APC), had at the flag-off of the scheme, tagged ‘Kanawa Bus Service’ launched 100 buses and 50 cabs, painted in green and a stripe of white. He had said the vehicles would commence operation immediately to address the transportation challenges in the state, especially along Jogana, Yankura to Janguza axis.  The then governor had explained that the scheme would commence on a pilot basis with the “100 high-capacity buses procured at the cost of N2.5 billion,” adding that, “Additional 200 buses would be provided in the 2023 budget to cover other corridors.” Checks by Weekend Trust reveal that the service was meant to be operated by a private company on a public- private partnership (PPP) while the Kano State Investment and Properties Limited was directed to invest in the new taxis. The taxis were then to be provided to the members of the tricycle association who were to be affected by the displacement from the pilot corridor, under a hire purchase agreement.

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Our reporter gathered that the aim was to allow the tricycle operators eventually own the taxis after completing the payment terms. Although details and information of the private operator has been kept under wraps by both the present and past administrations in Kano State, former Secretary to the State Government, and the Chairman Organising Committee of the N2.5 billion mass transit scheme, Engr Rabiu Suleman Bichi, told Weekend Trust that the company is indigenous to the state. In an attempt to track the N2.5 billion project, Weekend Trust went round Kano State in order to trace the buses, their efficiency on public roads and whether their deployment had eased transportation and costs for residents of the metropolis. However, 10 days after commuting through parts of Kano metropolis, this reporter found none of the buses in sight. Sources and residents confirmed that the buses, though initially deployed after the flag-off, disappeared from the streets since December 2022.   Two weeks after flag-off, buses vanished from Kano streets While questions trail the transparency and accountability of the project which the then Ganduje government claimed had cost N2.5b, residents and tricycle operators in the state told this reporter that the buses and taxis disappeared from the streets just two weeks after their flag-off and deployment. Abdussalam Umar, a public servant who relies on tricycle operators to convey his two children to school, said he was happy when the project was introduced in 2022, saying it was a good attempt to revamp the transportation system in the state. “At first, I thought it would make transportation easier and cheaper for us, but then I was disappointed when the buses and taxis disappeared barely two weeks after. It is sad that the mass transit scheme is now a total failure after all the money spent. Now we have to rely on the tricycles we have been using before,” Umar added. Another resident of the state, Jabir Aliyu, described the mass transit scheme as a good idea that was poorly executed. “The buses and taxis were not enough for the people of Kano. They were also not regular and reliable. Many times, when we came out, we found that they were not available and other times, they were overcrowded and uncomfortable,” he said. He, however, stressed the need for the state government to increase the number of buses and improve the service before they are redeployed to the streets. Also speaking with this reporter, Mamuda Haruna, a tricycle operator in Kano alleged that the mass transit scheme now appeared to be a scam. “You see, the government doesn’t listen to us. They are only interested in their pockets. During that period, they promised that new taxis would be given to tricycle operators but we never received them,” he said. Instead, he said the government banned the operation of tricycles, and arrested some operators and took away their source of income. Like Haruna, Weekend Trust gathered that many tricycle operators had been against the mass transit scheme. Shamsuddini Abdullahi, another tricycle operator in the state, said they were initially receptive of the scheme and wanted a fair and transparent process. “Now we don’t know where the buses are because they are not serving the public. You cannot find them anywhere on the streets. We only see some of the taxis sometimes,” he said.  “The process was not transparent, because when the scheme was launched, we were told that we could apply for new taxis, but when I personally applied, I was told they were no longer available,” he added.   Project suspended by Ganduje administration – Former SSG A former Secretary to the Kano State Government, and the Chairman Organising Committee of the N2.5 billion mass transit scheme, Engr Rabiu Suleman Bichi, told Weekend Trust that the project was put on hold due to mass rejection of government policies amid the naira redesign controversy of the Central Bank of Nigeria in 2022. When asked about the private contractor that supplied the vehicles, Bichi said he could not recall the private company but assured that it was an indigenous firm. He said the mass transit project originally started in 2013, during the administration of then Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. He, however, said because the same private company didn’t meet the contractual obligations, the project did not take off. “The administration of Governor Ganduje found it necessary to re-initiate the project in 2022 when the Kano tricycle operators went on strike. But when the buses were spread across for operations, those tricycle operators threw stones at them and caused damages,” he said. The former SSG explained that his committee had ensured everything was in place for the success of the project, but the federal government policy on currency redesign provoked residents and the policy was rejected. “So, because we didn’t want government assets being destroyed, we withdrew them. Because at that time, there was a cash crunch, fuel scarcity and lots of things, so people were protesting,” he added. Bichi had earlier told this reporter that the buses were safely kept at a government facility. However, when pressed for details of the facilities holding the buses, Bichi failed to provide the information.    Buses wasted at facility as Kano govt assures of new transport policy Former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje had in 2022 explained that it cost the state government N2.5 billion to purchase the 100 buses and 50 cabs. He had said additional 200 buses would be provided in the 2023 budget to cover other corridors in the metropolis. Weekend Trust could not verify if those additional buses were purchased before the expiration of the Ganduje administration. The state’s 2023 appropriation, however, had a budget of N2.9 billion under the code “23010108” for the purchase of buses. Both government officials under Ganduje and the present administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf have failed to provide detailed information on the private company which provided the buses. An ex-aide to former governor Ganduje who asked for anonymity because he was not authorised to speak said the mass transit scheme had failed due to several factors including intra-party issues within the All-Progressives Congress (APC) and disagreements between Ganduje and his anointed candidate, Dr. Nasiru Gawuna.  “There were allegations that the mass transit scheme was initiated to dissolve tricycle operators because of their open support for the opposition party, the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP). There were also intra-party issues, people were also protesting against the scheme. So, in order to save the candidature of the APC governorship candidate and to also deliver Kano to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, it was resolved that the project should be suspended,” the source added. However, this reporter reached out to the current administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, through his spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa to find out the state of the N2.5b worth buses and the private company which provided the buses, but he failed to respond to several enquiries. When contacted, the state Commissioner for Information, Hon. Baba Halilu Dantiye, said he had no information on the mass transit scheme but directed this reporter to the Commissioner for Transportation, Muhammad Diggol. After weeks of trying to get in touch with the commissioner, Weekend Trust finally met him at the ministry. The commissioner told this reporter that the present administration had inherited the “problem” but said the buses had been stationed at Mahaha, a playground in Kano. “It is true that the last administration procured 100 capacity buses for use as mass transit in the state. They were arranged to start but immediately they started, there were a lot of challenges that arose and necessitated them to stop,” he said, adding that the current administration is already developing a transport policy for the state. Our reporter visited Mahaha playground, along BUK road where he was able to view the busses from a distance. Weekend Trust, however, could not get access to the playground to ascertain whether the buses were complete and in good condition as the area was under lock and key and guarded by security agents who denied this reporter access.