Secretary of the Nigerian Association of Auctioneers (NAA), Kano state chapter, Isah Deneji, has revealed that the state government is losing approximately N1 billion each year due to the non-auctioning of used government items, including electronics, office furniture, and other equipment, which are often stolen by individuals.
Speaking to the press, Mr. Deneji explained that the government has undertaken extensive renovations and reconstructions across various ministries, leading to the removal of items such as air conditioners, office furniture, roofing sheets, and interlocks.
He expressed concern that, contrary to established procedures, these items are not being auctioned but are instead being stolen and sold by unauthorized individuals.
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“I want to call on the Kano state governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, to kindly instruct the commissioner for finance to resume auctioning items declared obsolete by the government,” he appealed.
Mr. Deneji further emphasized, “The governor is doing a lot of renovations and construction across ministries and departments, but the replaced items are left to rot or are stolen by some staff.”
He added, “We are licensed auctioneers and renew our licenses annually as professionals, but the government has stopped engaging our services. Items worth about N1 billion are being lost to theft instead of being formally sold and credited to the state account. We are from Kano, and this opportunity exists here. With all the good work the governor is doing, we cannot go to other states to look for obsolete items to auction. Our call is for the state government to resume the process instead of allowing items to be stolen or wasted.”
There have been reports suggesting that approximately 20 air conditioners were allegedly stolen during renovations at the Government House.
In response, the commissioner for works, Marwan Ahmad, stated that his ministry is not responsible for auctioning government property and, therefore, he was not aware of such incidents.
He clarified that it is the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance to establish a board of surveyors to inspect obsolete items and determine their suitability for auction.
The commissioner also highlighted the actions of some members of the public who attempt to remove construction materials, such as metal rods and wires, whenever government projects are underway.
He explained, “My ministry usually collects removed items, stores them, and recycles them for use in other government offices. Just recently, we collected interlocks removed from a site worth about one million naira and kept them here. Another office requested them, and they were supplied and put to use. In fact, they even wanted more than we had.”
On the issue of alleged theft of government property, Mr. Ahmad noted that he was not aware of any confirmed cases but assured that the ministry would investigate and hold any responsible parties accountable.
Despite ongoing state renovations and reconstructions, stakeholders have warned that items worth hundreds of millions of naira continue to be left to rot or are stolen in the absence of formal auction procedures.
