Henry Marah Zachariah, chairman of the Kaduna State House Committee on Information, has accused former Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s administration of mercilessly looting the state’s resources. The Kaduna State House of Assembly recently indicted El-Rufai and several of his aides, alleging that they siphoned over N423 billion from 2015 to 2023.
El-Rufai denied these
allegations, asserting that he served the state with integrity. Despite his
denial, the House of Assembly has urged Governor Uba Sani to refer those
implicated, including former commissioners for finance, heads of agencies, and
accountants-general from that period, to relevant security agencies for further
investigation.
In an interview on Channels
TV’s Politics Today, Marah Zachariah claimed that El-Rufai’s administration was
deeply corrupt and lacked integrity. He emphasized that anyone who signed
contracts under El-Rufai's tenure would be summoned for questioning and that
El-Rufai would have the opportunity to defend himself.
"El-Rufai's government
mercilessly looted Kaduna State," Zachariah stated. "When he assumed
office, the total debt was $235 million. However, during his eight years in
government, he single-handedly increased it to $758 million. By the time he
took office in 2015, the domestic debt was entirely cleared, but he left behind
about N33 billion."
Zachariah further challenged
the former governor's claims of integrity by pointing to the financial state he
left behind. "Check his handover note. How much did he leave for us? The
funds he collected to execute these projects – over 60 percent of them were
abandoned. It will take Kaduna State 20 years to complete what he left behind.
Where is the integrity?"
The allegations and subsequent
investigations highlight significant concerns about the management and use of
state funds during El-Rufai’s administration, raising questions about
accountability and transparency in governance.
Post a Comment