BUK Lecturer Linked to ₦357.7 Million in Public Contracts Amid Conflict-of-Interest Questions

Livinus Chibuike November 28, 2024

Last updated on May 31st, 2026 at 06:58 am

Fresh findings have raised concerns over the involvement of a staff member of Bayero University Kano (BUK), Muhammad Baffa Sani, in government contracts valued at more than ₦357.6 million through a private company in which he is listed as a director.

Documents obtained during an investigation indicate that Baffa Sani, a lecturer at Bayero University Kano, is among the directors of B.P. Sanny Co. Nigeria Limited, a company that secured multiple contracts from federal government agencies and institutions.

The development has drawn attention to the provisions of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, which regulates the conduct of public officers and seeks to prevent conflicts of interest in public service.

The law restricts full-time public servants from engaging in the management or control of private businesses, except those involved in farming activities.

Records reviewed show that B.P. Sanny Co. Nigeria Limited received government contracts and payments amounting to ₦357,669,720.31 from various ministries, departments and agencies.

One of the largest payments was made by the Nigeria Police Force. On 22 December 2021, the Police Formations and Commands paid ₦109,035,970.68 to the company as part payment for the construction and furnishing of the Divisional Police Headquarters in Kabba, Kogi State. Earlier, on 6 December 2021, the same agency had released ₦65,421,582.41 for the same project.

The police also paid ₦68,988,480.00 on 18 December 2021 for the supply and installation of hospital facilities in Damaturu, Yobe State. In another transaction, ₦25,225,348.09 was disbursed on 31 August 2022 as final payment for the construction and rehabilitation of the Police Mobile Force 70 Squadron Base along the Kabba–Okene Road in Kogi State.

Other payments traced to the company include ₦26,058,069.00 from the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons for the supply of food and non-food items in Zamfara State, and ₦30,715,637.40 from the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs for the supply and installation of 102 HP laptops and related accessories.

The Federal Ministry of Water Resources also paid ₦10,313,764.59 to the company in May 2021 for the construction of a borehole project in Edo State under the National WASH Emergency Response to COVID-19 programme.

In addition, the National Biosafety Management Agency released ₦7,569,720.00 for the review of food and feed safety guidelines, while the National Youth Service Corps paid ₦9,148,500.00 for the supply of NYSC white vests.

Further records show that the Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority disbursed ₦5,192,648.14 to the company for the supply of water pumps and the drilling of 25 tube wells.

Corporate records indicate that B.P. Sanny Co. Nigeria Limited was incorporated on 7 December 2015 with registration number 303570. The company’s registered address is listed as House 7, Road 21, 2nd Avenue, EFAB Estate, Lifecamp, Abuja.

The company has three principal directors and shareholders, one of whom is Muhammad Baffa Sani.

At the time the contracts were awarded and payments made, he was serving as a lecturer at Bayero University Kano.

The revelations are likely to fuel calls for closer scrutiny of public officers’ involvement in private business activities, particularly where such interests intersect with the award and execution of government contracts.

Anti-corruption advocates argue that strict adherence to conflict-of-interest regulations remains essential to promoting transparency, accountability and public confidence in government institutions.