Documents obtained and reviewed by Chronicles Reporters, alongside confirmation from the newspaper’s correspondent Ibrahim in Dubai, have raised significant questions about the transfer of Sheikh Hamdan Model Senior Secondary School from Al-Maktoum Foundation to Gwagwalada Area Council and its subsequent devolution to Azmah Heritage Academy in August 2025.
The documents establish a timeline that warrants public scrutiny: Al-Maktoum Foundation instructed the handover of the school to the government in March 2025, its Nigerian office formally communicated the decision to Gwagwalada Area Council in April, and the council subsequently approved the devolution of the institution to a private educational organisation under the administration of former Executive Chairman Hon. Abubakar Jibrin Giri.
The investigation raises questions about the legal basis of the subsequent transfer, the protection of public assets and the extent to which the original donor was consulted. Council Secretary Muhammad Saba is also named in the official records concerning the decision.
While the documents do not establish personal financial gain or unlawful appropriation by either official, they provide a basis for demanding transparency over a school that the council formally accepted as a gift.
THE FOUNDATION’S HANDOVER INSTRUCTIONS
In a letter dated 23 April 2025, Al-Maktoum Foundation-Nigeria, located along F.R.C.N. Road, Gwagwalada, wrote to the chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council concerning the transfer of Sheikh Hamdan Model Senior Secondary School, situated at Kutunku along New Market/FRCN Road.
The letter referenced instructions from the foundation’s Dubai headquarters, contained in correspondence numbered OUT/2025/0042 and dated 4 March 2025.
According to the letter, the headquarters had authorised the Nigerian office to hand over the school’s ownership and management to Gwagwalada Area Council.
The instructions also addressed the removal of the foundation’s and school’s signboards, insignias and badges, alongside the sale of school-owned vehicles and remittance of the proceeds to a designated bank account.
These provisions raise additional questions about the scope of the handover, the assets involved and the accounting records maintained during the transition.
COUNCIL FORMALLY ACCEPTED THE SCHOOL
On 25 April 2025, Gwagwalada Area Council acknowledged the foundation’s letter in a response bearing reference number FCAC/GAC/CHM/5368.
The council expressed gratitude for the donation, acknowledged the foundation’s contribution to the institution’s development and pledged to maintain educational standards under its management.
It also welcomed the foundation’s offer of support during the transition.
This correspondence is central to the investigation because it documents the council’s formal acceptance of the school before the subsequent decision to devolve it to another organisation.
The question is whether the original transfer included conditions restricting onward transfer, whether the foundation retained any rights over the property, and what legal authority the council relied upon when it later approved the arrangement with Azmah Heritage Academy.
AUGUST 2025: ABU GIRI’S EXECUTIVE COUNCIL APPROVES DEVOLUTION
An extract from the minutes of the Gwagwalada Area Council Executive Council meeting held on 27 August 2025 records the ratification of the provisional devolution of Sheikh Hamdan Model Senior Secondary School to Azmah Heritage Academy, a subsidiary of Azmah Group of Schools.
The minutes state that the council was facing financial and administrative challenges, including a prolonged workers’ strike linked to its inability to implement the new national minimum wage. They also argue that managing a senior secondary school was outside the council’s core constitutional responsibilities.
The document further states that Azmah Heritage Academy had expressed interest in the institution, was duly registered and possessed experience in school administration.
According to the minutes, the chairman had granted provisional approval to prevent disruption to the academic calendar ahead of the school’s anticipated resumption in September 2025. The Executive Council subsequently ratified that decision.
Hon. Abubakar Jibrin Giri is identified as Executive Chairman, while Muhammad Saba is named as Council Secretary. The attendance list also identifies Vice Chairman Saidu Abdullahi Zuba and other council officials present at the meeting.
However, the minutes do not provide the complete terms of the transaction, its financial implications or the legal instruments governing the transfer.
Most importantly, the resolution refers to the devolution of both ownership and management. That wording makes it necessary to establish whether the council transferred the school’s title, granted operational control, or entered into another form of arrangement.
WHO OWNS THE SCHOOL NOW?
This is the central question confronting the council and the private organisation.
A public authority may, where legally authorised and subject to applicable requirements, engage a private institution to manage a school. Such an arrangement is not automatically unlawful. However, a transfer of ownership raises different legal and accountability questions from a management contract.
If the council transferred ownership, residents deserve to know the legal basis for doing so, whether the donor imposed restrictions, and whether the necessary approvals were obtained.
If Azmah Heritage Academy received only management rights, the public should be given access to the agreement specifying its duration, financial obligations, maintenance responsibilities, oversight arrangements and the council’s continuing rights over the property.
The available documents do not establish whether consideration was paid, whether a competitive selection process took place or whether the foundation expressly approved the subsequent arrangement.
These are essential facts that must be established before any conclusion can be reached about the legality or propriety of the transaction.
QUESTIONS FOR ABU GIRI AND SABA
The official records identify the former chairman and council secretary in connection with the devolution decision. Their involvement in the documented process makes their explanations important, but the records reviewed so far do not prove that either official personally benefited from the arrangement.
Chronicles Reporters is therefore seeking answers to the following questions:
- What deed of transfer, management agreement, lease or other legal instrument governed the arrangement with Azmah Heritage Academy?
- Was Al-Maktoum Foundation’s Dubai headquarters notified of, or consulted about, the proposed devolution?
- Did the original donation contain restrictions on transferring ownership or management to another organisation?
- Was any payment or other financial consideration involved, and how were the school’s assets valued and recorded?
- What process was used to select Azmah Heritage Academy, and were other qualified organisations considered?
- Who is responsible for the school’s land, buildings, vehicles, equipment and other assets under the current arrangement?
- What oversight mechanisms did the council establish to protect the school’s educational purpose and the interests of the community?
The council’s stated financial difficulties and desire to avoid disruption to students may explain its decision, but the public still has a legitimate interest in the legal and financial terms under which the institution was devolved.
DUBAI CONNECTION: INVESTIGATION CONTINUES
Chronicles Reporters correspondent Ibrahim in Dubai has confirmed the handover, according to information provided to the newspaper. The correspondence reviewed by the investigative desk also records the foundation’s instructions and the council’s subsequent acceptance.
The newspaper is seeking further clarification from Al-Maktoum Foundation concerning whether it consented to the August 2025 devolution and whether the arrangement complied with the terms of the original donation.
The foundation’s original instructions, any accompanying conditions and subsequent correspondence will be crucial in determining whether the transfer to Azmah Heritage Academy was consistent with the donor’s intentions.
Until those records are examined, it would be premature to conclude that the foundation’s instructions were breached.
CHRONICLES REPORTERS DEMANDS TRANSPARENCY
A school donated to a public authority is a matter of public interest. Residents have the right to know who owns the institution, who controls its assets, how it is funded and what safeguards protect its educational mission.
Chronicles Reporters calls on Gwagwalada Area Council to make public the complete transfer documents, the legal advice obtained, the relevant Executive Council records and any agreement governing Azmah Heritage Academy’s ownership or management of the institution.
The newspaper also invites Al-Maktoum Foundation, Azmah Heritage Academy, Hon. Abubakar Jibrin Giri and Muhammad Saba to respond and provide documents that may clarify the transaction.
This investigation is ongoing. Part Two will examine the legal status of the property, the terms of the devolution and the unresolved questions surrounding ownership, school assets and public accountability.