By Salisu Sani-Idris
FORMER governor of Kano State, Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau, said on Wednesday that he has never collected bribes from any contractor throughout his tenure. Shekarau said this in Abuja at a news briefing to release the activities marking the 70th anniversary of the Muslim Student’s Society of Nigeria (MSSN).
He also said he never touched any of the local government’s funds throughout his eight years due to the inspiration of moral training of the society.
He said: “In my government. I have told you and said it in the media. All this crisis of people eating away at the local government fund. I may not be the only one but you may be very sure I’m one of very few governors that for eight years, I never touched any of my local government money.
“And in my 44 years of public leadership, I have never negotiated with any contractors. I am proud to say that I have never taken any money from any contractor. They are all there, they know. The only thing I owned today is my house where I lived in Kano.
“I still live in a rented house in Abuja and I was able to do this through the inspiration of the MSSN moral training.”
Shekarau, who is the deputy chairman, Board of Trustees of MSSN, said the society would continue to strive towards strengthening the Muslim community educationally, economically, spiritually and politically.
This, according to him, will be achieved through a wide spectrum of activities in schools and the larger society in partnership with like-minded organisations.
Shekarau said,” At the moment, while we do not have the number of graduates under the umbrella of the MSSN, but I can tell you, we today have 37,000 branches across the federation.
“We will strive to introduce new programmes and processes that will consolidate the fostering of unity and brotherhood, and that will encourage members to participate in politics and governance.”
On the challenges faced by the organisation, Shekarau said for the past 60 years of its existence, MSSN never had a befitting National Headquarters until recently.
He said,” It took us more than a decade to fight to have land in Abuja until we are able to get the one at Gwarinpa and the first project we decided to do is the mosque we are using for this news conference.”
MSSN was established in 1954 to bring all the Muslims in closer union, inculcate in them the true Islamic spirit of brotherhood and absolute faith in Allah as the only basis for the achievement of peace among mankind. (NAN)
