School ownership causes flap in Sabuwar Gandu

Leadership tussle within Sabuwar Gandu Development Association has led to a serious disagreement between Jama’atu Izalatul Bid’ah Wa Iqamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS) and the association over ownership of a community school. Kano Chronicle learnt that leadership crisis rocked the association months ago, following a decision by some of its members to hand over the school to […]

Leadership tussle within Sabuwar Gandu Development Association has led to a serious disagreement between Jama’atu Izalatul Bid’ah Wa Iqamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS) and the association over ownership of a community school.

Kano Chronicle learnt that leadership crisis rocked the association months ago, following a decision by some of its members to hand over the school to Kano state government.

It was further learnt that the school and a mosque attached to it was project initiated by a Kano-based businessman and a philanthropist, Alhaji Abdullahi Dan-Gongola. While the mosque was completed, the school is still under construction.

Further findings by our reporter revealed that the initiator of the project reportedly handed it over to the Sabuwar Gandu Development Association for onward completion but a faction of the association also handed over the uncompleted school to Kano state government.

According to Malam Muhammad Ibrahim, a patron of the faction, the point of contention in the whole issue was that the JIBWIS had refused to accept the fact that the school was not under its custody.

He said, although the Juma’at mosque is being manned by JIBWIS, it was agreed that the school be ran by the community, a decision he said JIBWIS opposed.

“Our fear is that if allowed to be under the JIBWIS, most of the community members may not afford to enrol their children in the school.

“Our decision is to avert what happened in other places on similar issue. that was why as custodians of the school and people who invited the philanthropist to erect the structure, handed over the school to the state government.

“It may also interest you to note that, a budgetary allocation by the state government to complete the school was made but JIBWIS officials have bowed to frustrate the effort,” he alleged.

When contacted the JIBWIS state Secretary, Malam Ali Ali stated that, though a faction of the association had taken the matter to court, JIBWIS did not violate any law as the school was handed over to it by the community.

He explained that “What happened was that members of the association differed when the decision to hand over the school to the government was taken. While some supported the decision, others opposed it. This is what tore the association into two factions.

“One of the factions has taken the other to court for redress on the issue. However, the structure has been formally handed over to JIBWIS for a long time,” he said.

On his part, the factional Secretary of the Association that took the matter to court, Malam Ibrahim Yaro, said his group headed to court to seek readress for peace to reign in the community.

“My group opposed handing over of the school to the state government and several attempts have been made to address the issue among ourselves but all in vein; hence, our decision to go to  court.

“In 2006, the mandate to run the mosque and the school was given to the JIBWIS only for some people to reverse it after many years. This is what we are opposing, manning the school by the JIBWIS will not take it away from the community,” he said.