Kano's deputy governor allegedly took N1.6bn from the tier of government closest to you

The Kano State House of Assembly moved to impeach Deputy Governor Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo yesterday.

The allegations: while serving as Commissioner for Local Government, he collected N1.5 million monthly from each of Kano's 44 councils. That's N66 million every month. Over seven months: N462 million. Then he allegedly collected N3.255 million per council per month for "special assignments." Six months of that: N726 million more. Then a separate N440 million payment funnelled to a pharmaceutical company from council funds.

Total: over N1.6 billion. From local governments.

This is the tier that pays for your primary health centre. The one that fixes the road in front of your ward. The one that's supposed to manage your market, your school feeding programme, your birth registration.

That's where this money came from.

38 of 41 lawmakers signed the impeachment notice. That's the threshold needed. The process is now constitutionally underway.

But here's the uncomfortable part. This is an NNPP government impeaching its own deputy governor. Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf won in 2023 on a reform mandate. Gwarzo was Commissioner for Local Government under that same administration. The looting, if the allegations are true, happened while reform was the official brand.

The system didn't fail despite the reformers. It ran right through them.