By Garba Abdullahi Bagwai Kano
The Kano State Government has vowed to protect the headquarters of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW) in Kano following an alleged attempt by an estate developer, Syga Dynamic Solutions Ltd, to take possession of part of the agency’s land at Kabuga Janbulo in Gwale Local Government Area.
The controversy began on Friday when officials of the company pasted a court order at the agency’s premises directing occupants to vacate the complex to enable the company commence demarcation of plots for sale.
The move was resisted by staff of the agency, who immediately alerted the Federal Ministry of Environment, the Nigeria Police Force and the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission.
The disputed property is an 11-hectare complex comprising administrative offices, staff quarters, a conference centre, laboratories, a hotel, a modern orchard and various species of trees. The facility was established in 1988 with support from the World Bank to coordinate afforestation programmes and combat desertification and erosion across the 11 frontline northern states.
Recently, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the transfer of the Afforestation Programme Coordinating Unit (APCU) under the Federal Ministry of Environment to the National Agency for the Great Green Wall and directed that its headquarters be relocated from Abuja to Kano.
Speaking during an inspection of the facility on behalf of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, the Commissioner for Environment, Climate Change and Water Resources, Dr. Dahiru Muhammad Hashim, described the development as disturbing.
He said it was unfortunate that individuals claiming ownership of part of the property had secured a court order seeking the eviction of both the National Agency for the Great Green Wall and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) from the premises.
“Although the matter is before a court and the government will not interfere with the judicial process, any attempt to convert this strategic environmental facility into private residential or commercial plots is against the overriding public interest.
“It is particularly unpatriotic to fragment a facility deliberately selected by the Federal Government as the operational base for coordinating the fight against desertification across the 11 frontline states,” the commissioner
Dr. Hashim disclosed that already Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf had constituted a committee to study the matter, while the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission had also commenced an independent investigation.
He assured that the state government would not allow the premises to be converted for private use, stressing that the importance of the complex extends beyond its buildings, as its mature plantations constitute one of the largest green vegetation belts within the expanding Kano metropolis.
The commissioner also advised members of the public not to pay money to any estate developer for plots allegedly being sold within the NAGGW headquarters pending the resolution of the dispute.
However, the legal counsel to Syga Dynamic Solutions Ltd, Barrister Sadiku Sammani, maintained that the company lawfully acquired the property through the Federal Government’s due process for the disposal of government assets.
Read Also: FG relocates Great Green Wall headquarters from Abuja to Kano
According to him, the company obtained approval from the Presidential Committee on the White Paper on the Commission of Inquiry into the Alienation of Federal Government Landed Properties.
He said the company paid over ₦400 million into the Federal Government’s Treasury Single Account (TSA) through Remita as part of the acquisition process.
“The committee approved the sale of the property for ₦3.153 billion, payable in three instalments. We have already paid the first instalment of ₦315.38 million, another ₦157.69 million as administrative charges, and other statutory fees, including those for the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy,” he said.
Saminu explained that after the company was denied access to the property by officials of the agency, it instituted a suit at Kano High Court No. 11 against the Minister of Environment and the Federal Ministry of Environment on June 17, 2026.
He added that after the defendants allegedly failed to appear in court on four consecutive occasions, the court granted an order on July 14, 2026, permitting the company to take possession of the property.
“We have genuine documents issued by the appropriate authorities responsible for the privatization of Federal Government landed properties and we are prepared to present them before any competent authority,” he said.
The Presidential Committee on the Alienation of Federal Government Landed Properties was established during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to implement the Federal Government’s monetisation policy.
However, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently dissolved the committee and transferred its responsibilities to the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN.
