New owners speak on Ganduje’s, Kano govt’s roles in Dala port

Dala Inland Dry Port Nigeria Limited has reacted to a PREMIUM TIMES investigation about the company’s ownership, saying its new owners had no knowledge of any co-ownership by the Kano government before buying the property.

In a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES, the management of the dry port also claimed that documents showing ex-Governor Abdullahi Ganduje’s children as former shareholders were forged by the founder and former managing director of the port, Ahmad Rabiu.

The management said the new owners acquired the port in 2020 from Mr Rabiu, who allegedly claimed to be the sole owner of the port.

It said the facility is a federally approved project under the supervision of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and it has, since acquiring the dry port, consistently operated with transparency and accountability.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported that former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, in March 2020, secretly transferred the state government’s 20 per cent stake in the company to private hands, making his children co-owners before awarding a contract worth over N2.3 billion to provide infrastructure for the project.

The transfer edged Kano State out of ownership, while Mr Ganduje’s children emerged as directors and shareholders. Shortly after, Mr Ganduje, then governor, awarded a contract for works that were originally the state’s responsibility under its equity agreement.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Kano State was to pay for its 20 per cent equity by providing infrastructure —roads, fencing, electricity, and water at the Zawachiki site in Kumbotso Local Government Area. The state government, under different governors, failed to do so until the ownership of the firm was changed in March 2020 to favour the Ganduje children.

In 2022, two years after the records were altered to favour the Ganduje family and a former aide, Abubakar Bawuro, new CAC filings removed the Ganduje children and transferred their shares to Mr Bawuro, the investigation found.

A CAC document seen by PREMIUM TIMES now lists only Mr Bawuro and Mr Rabiu as shareholders and Persons with Significant Control (PSC). The records, dated 19 October 2022, showed Mr Bawuro holding 80 per cent of shares and Mr Rabiu 20 per cent. That new ownership structure still subsisted at the time of our report.

However, the new owners of the port say they are not aware that the Kano State Government owned any share in the port.

The management said that Kano State never owned the property, arguing that its records of acquisition never showed the state government as a shareholder.

The company said it conducted its own CAC search, which did not list Kano State as having equity in the project.

It also said Kano State’s contribution, under Mr Ganduje, by providing infrastructure was strictly Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), not evidence of co-ownership or equity.

“Kano State government support was classified strictly as CSR and not ownership,” the company said.

The company instead blamed Mr Rabiu for discrepancies in the transfer of the company to the new owners. It also blamed him for financial losses and what it described as a “campaign of calumny.”

How we acquired Dala Port – CGE

According to the management, Mr Rabiu personally invited Abubakar Bawuro of City Green Enterprises (CGE), now the owners of Dala Inland Dry Port, to invest in 2020.

The board said Mr Rabiu consolidated ownership by securing resignation letters from other directors, including his son, transferring their shares to himself, before voluntarily offering 100 per cent of the company to CGE.

According to the management, CGE carried out due diligence at the CAC and found no evidence of Kano State Government ownership.

After selling the port to CGE, Mr Rabiu reportedly requested to buy back 20 per cent of the shares. CGE agreed but said he has yet to fully pay.

A board resolution filed with CAC now reflects Mr Bawuro as holding 80 per cent and Mr Rabiu 20 per cent.

“At no time was Kano State Government or any member of the Ganduje family listed as shareholders or directors,” Dala Inland Dry Port said, adding that “one cannot remove an entity that was never legally a shareholder or director.”

The company said that the company records that show Mr Ganduje’s children being listed as directors were forged by Mr Rabiu. PREMIUM TIMES is yet to verify that claim and others by the company.

The firm also accused Mr Rabiu of failing to disclose any claim of Kano State equity and maintained that he sold 100 per cent of the company to CGE without dispute for five years.

Agreements, Payments, and New Leadership

The company said a formal agreement was signed and full payments made between CGE and Mr Rabiu.

“Following the acquisition, new directors were appointed with CAC approval, including Adamu Aliyu Sanda in 2021 and Hassan Bello in 2023.”

At the time of CGE’s entry, the NSC was reportedly considering revoking DIDP’s concession due to inactivity. “It was CGE’s intervention that revived confidence.”

Turnaround and Federal Recognition

Since the takeover, DIDP said it has achieved significant milestones.

“DIDP was declared a Port of Origin and Destination by the Federal Government on August 5, 2022, and commissioned by late President Muhammadu Buhari on January 30, 2023,” the company stated.

It contrasted this with what it described as “years of financial losses and poor performance” under Mr Rabiu between 2005 and 2020.

Rabiu’s exit and “campaign of calumny”

The company said Mr Rabiu was removed as managing director on 30 July, following a review of the company’s “precarious financial position” and his “style of stewardship.”

“The Managing Director’s position was abolished and replaced with an Acting Chief Operating Officer in August 2025,” it said.

“For the first time in DIDP’s history, overhead expenses and salaries were funded entirely from internally generated revenue,” the statement added, describing this as proof of a sustainable turnaround.

DIDP accused Mr Rabiu of launching a “campaign of calumny” after his exit, alleging that he issued threats to staff while enjoying “a generous salary package, two new official vehicles, and jobs for his two sons.”

The board said all its claims are backed by CAC filings, board resolutions, and government correspondence.

“The reported misrepresentations are not grounded in fact, law, or record. Rabiu voluntarily sold DIDP to CGE, which revived and developed the port, while KNSG’s role was limited to CSR support,” the company said.

“Today, DIDP stands as a testimony of resilience, corporate integrity, and effective partnership between investors, regulators, and government support. Its revival is not in dispute. Its future is secure.”

The company listed supporting documents, including its Memorandum and Articles of Association, Certificate of Incorporation, board resolutions, sale agreement, NSC letters, and status reports as proof of its claims.

Mr Rabiu fights back

When PREMIUM TIMES confronted Mr Rabiu with the allegations by the port management, he denied any responsibility.

“First, it was shocking to see PREMIUM TIMES went deep into our records and published so much about Dala Inland Dry Port and secondly to learn that the management are accusing me of waging a campaign of calumny against the company I founded and funded for over two decades. I have no reason to destroy what I built.”

Mr Rabiu said it was Mr Ganduje, as Kano governor, that first introduced him to Mr Bawuro, and he was compelled to sign the sales agreement under duress.

“I never knew Abubakar Sahabo Bawuro until Governor Ganduje introduced him while we were working on the dry port. He later resigned as Ganduje’s aide in December 2020 and joined our board as chairman on the Governor’s verbal instruction.”

“I was also forced to appoint Adamu Aliyu Sanda as legal adviser in 2019, months before I was compelled to sign a poorly drafted sales agreement. I was told the buyer was ‘City Green Enterprises,’ which was not even a legal entity. Bawuro’s name was written on it, but he never invested in a kobo.”

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“Bawuro and Sanda handled documents of sales agreement under the supervision of Hassan Bello, who at that time was the CEO of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council. Bello later served me a 30-day termination notice of concession far short of the three months required, putting me in a very difficult situation.”

“But what pains me even further is that after leaving office, Mr Bello immediately joined the board of Dala Inland Dry Port—first as a consultant who attended and participated fully in board meetings, and later as a full board member.”

When asked if the Kano government was ever represented on the board of Dala port, he said ‘yes.’

“Abdullahi Haruna was the director that represented the interest of Kano State Government on the Board. Sanda should give full and honest report,” he said.

“As for incompetence, I have nothing to prove. I have been recognised and respected as the frontrunner and expert on matters of inland ports in our great country. Bawuro was a maximum ruler at Dala Inland Dry Port. We have held an average of one Board Meeting every month since we came together because he must decide every step we were to take. H.E. Ganduje had to intervene between I and Bawuro all through.”