Dala Port denies Ganduje’s family ownership

The management of Dala Inland Dry Port Limited has denied reports circulating on social media that members of the family of a former Kano governor and ex-National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, are shareholders in the company.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, Dala Company Secretary, Adamu Sanda, described the reports as “false, misleading, and politically motivated.”

Sanda insisted that neither the Ganduje family nor the Kano State Government has ever owned a stake in the business.

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“Verified records from the Corporate Affairs Commission and official board resolutions clearly show that no member of the Ganduje family has ever been a shareholder, director, or signatory in Dala Inland Dry Port,” the statement read.

Sanda said the company was compelled to issue the clarification following what it called a wave of mischievous posts, suggesting that Ganduje’s children had been allotted five million shares each through a purported “ordinary resolution” that created a new ownership structure.

“This claim is a fabrication. The alleged resolution document is not authentic. It was single-handedly authored and signed … without the consent or knowledge of other directors,” he explained.

“Official company records at the CAC make no reference to such a resolution, and there is no legal or corporate evidence supporting the existence of any share allotment to Ganduje’s children.”

The company was originally owned and managed by Ahmad Rabi’u and his associates before he invited City Green Enterprises to invest in the project, which had been dormant for years.

The CGE subsequently acquired 80 per cent of the company’s shares, while Rabi’u retained 20 per cent, which he reportedly has not fully paid for.

“At no point did the transaction include the Kano State Government or any member of the Ganduje family,” Sanda added.

The company also dismissed claims that the Kano State Government owns 20 per cent of its equity or has a representative on its board.

“The Kano State Government has never owned equity in Dala Inland Dry Port. Its only involvement came through Corporate Social Responsibility support at the request of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council to facilitate the revival of the port project,” the secretary clarified.

Sanda said the NSC had even issued a letter of appreciation to the state for providing critical infrastructure at the Zawaciki Inland Port site, stressing that such support “does not constitute shareholding or ownership.”

“CSR assistance, by definition, is purely developmental support aimed at benefiting traders, businesses, and logistics operators in the state,” he added.

He also dismissed reports that one Abdullahi Haruna, allegedly representing the Kano government’s interests, sits on the company’s board.

The Dala Inland Dry Port project, located in Kano State, is one of Nigeria’s flagship inland logistics hubs designed to decongest seaports and stimulate economic activities across the North.

The project, first conceptualised in the early 2000s under the supervision of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, was meant to serve as an international trade gateway for the northern region.

However, the project has faced years of delay, ownership disputes, and political controversies—especially around investment control and management decisions.

Political observers, however, believed that the fresh claims linking Ganduje’s family to Dala Port may have spurred out of the escalating political tension in Kano, where the former governor’s influence has been under renewed scrutiny since his exit from office in 2023.