By Usman Usman Garba
Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has released N5.6bn to settle severance and gratuity entitlements owed to 1,198 former councillors who served between 2018 and 2020 under the administration of ex-Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
The payment, which also covered accommodation and leave allowances, was announced in a statement on Thursday by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa.
According to him, the disbursement represented the second batch of inherited liabilities, following an earlier N1.8bn payment to 903 former councillors in May 2025.
Speaking during the ceremony at the Coronation Hall, Government House, Yusuf explained that his administration inherited a total of N15.6bn in arrears to former councillors.
He assured that the final tranche of ₦8.2bn, covering 1,371 beneficiaries, would be cleared by November.
“This is more than a financial settlement. It is about restoring dignity, fairness, and justice to those who sacrificed for grassroots governance,” the governor said, urging beneficiaries to use the funds responsibly for their families and communities.
The event was marked by jubilation as several councillors received payment alerts at the venue.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, the leader of the group, largely made up of opposition APC members, commended Yusuf for what they described as fairness despite political differences.
“We wish to express our unalloyed respect to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf who, despite our political difference, was able to be fair and just to us. We remain indebted to him throughout his first and second tenure,” the spokesperson said.
The former councillors blamed Ganduje, who also served as the immediate past acting national chairman of the APC, for denying them their entitlements.