Further investigation by Chronicles Reporters into the controversial devolution of Sheikh Hamdan Model Senior Secondary School has raised fresh questions about the corporate identity of Azmah Heritage Academy, its relationship with Azmah Group of Schools, and the due diligence conducted by the administration of former Gwagwalada Area Council Chairman, Hon. Abubakar Jibrin Giri, before approving the transfer.
The emerging findings raise a fundamental question: why would a school donated by Al-Maktoum Foundation to Gwagwalada Area Council, with written instructions documenting the intended handover to government, subsequently be devolved to a private educational organisation whose corporate registration has not been independently established by this investigation?
Documents previously reviewed by the newspaper show that Al-Maktoum Foundation-Nigeria communicated its headquarters’ instructions to hand over Sheikh Hamdan Model Senior Secondary School to the council in a letter dated 23 April 2025. The council acknowledged the handover in a letter dated 25 April 2025.
However, an extract from the council’s Executive Council meeting of 27 August 2025 records the ratification of the provisional devolution of the former school to Azmah Heritage Academy, described in the minutes as a subsidiary of Azmah Group of Schools.
The latest findings have shifted the investigation beyond the transfer itself to the identity, legal status and ownership of the organisation that received the institution.
AZMAH HERITAGE ACADEMY: WHERE IS ITS CORPORATE RECORD?
According to information obtained during the newspaper’s further investigation, searches conducted by the investigative team have not established a verifiable registration record for Azmah Heritage Academy with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
The council’s August 2025 minutes describe Azmah Heritage Academy as a subsidiary of Azmah Group of Schools and state that it was duly registered and experienced in school administration.
That assertion now requires documentary clarification.
Which entity was actually approved by the council? Was it Azmah Heritage Academy, Azmah Group of Schools, an incorporated company operating under a different legal name, or an individual proprietor?
If the academy operates under another registered entity, the public should be informed of that entity’s full legal name and registration number. If the council relied on a certificate of registration, that document should be made available for independent verification.
The issue is not merely the name displayed on the school’s signboard. It is whether the recipient identified in the council’s resolution was properly identified, legally capable of entering the relevant agreement and subject to enforceable obligations.
WHY DID A PUBLIC SCHOOL TRANSFER REQUIRE FURTHER EXPLANATION?
The original correspondence from Al-Maktoum Foundation-Nigeria expressly stated that the foundation’s headquarters had instructed the handover of Sheikh Hamdan Model Senior Secondary School to Gwagwalada Area Council.
The council subsequently accepted the donation and acknowledged the foundation’s contribution to educational development.
Four months later, the council’s Executive Council approved the devolution of the institution to Azmah Heritage Academy.
The circumstances raise a critical question about the council’s interpretation of its authority over the donated property.
Did the foundation transfer full ownership to the council, or did the donation contain conditions concerning the institution’s future management? Was the council entitled to transfer ownership to a private organisation, or was it authorised only to arrange for another operator to manage the school?
The answers depend on the original transfer instrument, any conditions attached to the donation and the legal documents governing the subsequent transaction.
The fact that the original donor instructed a handover to government does not automatically prohibit every later management arrangement. Equally, the council’s acceptance of the school does not, by itself, establish that it could transfer the property to any organisation without complying with applicable legal and administrative requirements.
The public deserves to see the documents that determine the council’s actual powers.
WHO ARE THE DIRECTORS AND BENEFICIAL OWNERS OF AZMAH GROUP OF SCHOOLS?
Another major question arising from the investigation concerns the individuals behind Azmah Group of Schools and Azmah Heritage Academy.
The council’s resolution identifies Azmah Heritage Academy as a subsidiary of Azmah Group of Schools but does not, in the extract reviewed by the newspaper, identify the group’s directors, proprietors, shareholders or ultimate beneficial owners.
Chronicles Reporters has not yet independently established the identities of those individuals through authoritative corporate records. The newspaper will not publish names based on speculation or unverified claims.
Nevertheless, the question is central to public accountability.
Who established Azmah Group of Schools? Who owns or controls it? What is the academy’s precise legal relationship with the group? Who signed the agreement with Gwagwalada Area Council, and in what legal capacity?
The Corporate Affairs Commission’s records, the relevant school operating approvals and the agreement executed with the council should help establish these facts.
Where a public institution is transferred to a private operator, identifying the responsible legal entity and the individuals authorised to act on its behalf is essential to determining who is accountable for the institution’s assets, operations and contractual obligations.
The council should therefore disclose the legal identity of the recipient, the registration documents it examined, the identities of the authorised signatories and the ownership structure it verified before approving the transaction.
WHAT DUE DILIGENCE DID ABU GIRI’S ADMINISTRATION CONDUCT?
The August 2025 Executive Council minutes state that Azmah Heritage Academy was duly registered and had the requisite experience in school administration.
That statement makes the administration’s verification process an important subject of investigation.
What documents were presented to establish the academy’s registration? Did the council obtain a CAC certificate, a business-name registration or evidence that the academy was operating under another incorporated entity? Did officials independently verify those documents?
The council also needs to explain how it assessed the proposed operator’s financial capacity, educational experience, accountability arrangements and ability to maintain the standards associated with Sheikh Hamdan Model Senior Secondary School.
These questions are particularly important because the minutes cite the council’s financial difficulties and the need to prevent disruption to the academic calendar as reasons for the decision.
Those circumstances may explain the urgency, but they do not eliminate the need for appropriate verification, written agreements and safeguards for the school and its assets.
If a formal due-diligence report exists, its publication would help resolve the concerns. If the council relied on documents that have not yet been disclosed, those records should be produced for scrutiny.
WAS OWNERSHIP TRANSFERRED OR WAS MANAGEMENT OUTSOURCED?
The language used in the council’s resolution deserves particular attention.
The extract refers to the devolution of the “ownership and management” of the former Sheikh Hamdan Model Senior Secondary School to Azmah Heritage Academy.
That wording appears broader than a straightforward appointment of a private school operator. However, the resolution alone does not establish the precise legal effect of the transaction.
A transfer of title to land and buildings is legally distinct from permission to operate a school on public premises. Similarly, a management agreement does not necessarily transfer ownership of vehicles, furniture, equipment or other assets.
The council should clarify whether the arrangement involved:
- Transfer of legal ownership of the land and buildings.
- A lease, concession or other right to occupy the premises.
- Management and operation of the school under a defined contract.
- Transfer or use of vehicles, furniture, equipment and other school assets.
- Financial consideration, maintenance obligations or revenue-sharing arrangements.
Without the underlying agreement, the public cannot determine what rights were granted, what obligations were imposed or what protections remained with the council.
QUESTIONS THE COUNCIL MUST ANSWER
Chronicles Reporters is seeking formal responses from Gwagwalada Area Council, Azmah Group of Schools, Azmah Heritage Academy and Al-Maktoum Foundation on the following issues:
- What is the full legal name and registration number of the organisation that received Sheikh Hamdan Model Senior Secondary School?
- Is Azmah Heritage Academy a registered business name, an incorporated entity or an operating name belonging to another organisation?
- What is the precise legal relationship between Azmah Heritage Academy and Azmah Group of Schools?
- Who are the group’s directors, proprietors, shareholders and beneficial owners, where applicable?
- Which CAC documents and educational operating approvals did the council examine before approving the devolution?
- Was the original donation subject to conditions concerning ownership, management or onward transfer?
- Did Al-Maktoum Foundation’s Dubai headquarters consent to or receive notice of the subsequent arrangement?
- What legal instrument governs the academy’s occupation or ownership of the school, and what are its financial terms?
- Who is responsible for the school’s land, buildings, vehicles, equipment and other assets?
- What monitoring arrangements has the council established to ensure that the school continues to serve the educational interests of the community?
These questions are directed at clarifying the public record, not at presuming wrongdoing. The relevant organisations and officials will have an opportunity to respond, and any substantive response or documentary evidence will be reflected in subsequent reporting.
CHRONICLES REPORTERS: THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES
The documentary trail now presents two connected issues: the authority under which Gwagwalada Area Council devolved the school it had accepted from Al-Maktoum Foundation, and the identity and legal capacity of the organisation that received it.
The council’s own minutes assert that Azmah Heritage Academy was duly registered. The newspaper’s investigation, however, has not yet independently verified the relevant corporate record or established the identities of the individuals behind the group.
That discrepancy requires clarification through official records rather than speculation.
Chronicles Reporters calls on the council to release the original donation instrument, the complete devolution agreement, the due-diligence documents and the registration evidence it relied upon. The newspaper also invites Azmah Group of Schools to identify its legal ownership structure and clarify the status of Azmah Heritage Academy.
The investigation will continue to examine the applicable corporate records, land and asset documentation, educational approvals and correspondence with the original donor.
The question is no longer simply why a donated school was devolved. It is whether the council properly established the identity and legal status of the recipient, protected the public interest and acted within the authority granted to it when it accepted the school.
Chronicles Reporters will publish further findings as documentary evidence becomes available and responses are received from the parties concerned.