By Joel Ajayi, Abuja
Ex-commissioners in the immediate past administration of Malam Nasir El-Rufai have described the allegation that N423 billion was siphoned under the former governor as the outcome of an incomplete probe by the Kaduna State House of Assembly.
Briefing journalists in Abuja, yesterday, former Commissioner of Environment and Education, Jafaru Sani said the allegations leveled against El-Rufai by an ad-hoc committee of the Assembly are untrue.
Jafaru, alongside seven other ex-commissioners while discrediting the indictment on El-Rufai, recalled that “till date, the Kaduna State House of Assembly has not responded to formal requests for the certified true copy of the report that it adopted at its sitting on June 5”.
He added that “the avalanche of figures seems only to have mesmerised the legislators who cite one amount here and then something different on exactly the same figure”.
According to him, “why would the House of Assembly be unable to officially release the report to persons who were summoned by its ad-hoc committee which took their testimonies and then proceeded to write baseless recommendations?”
Besides, El-Rufai, he said, was not invited by the committee which made certain claims against him.
“As you are aware, he has approached the Federal High Court for the enforcement of his fundamental rights as a citizen who is entitled to fair hearing before his rights can be determined by a quasi-judicial or investigative body or court in line with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.
“As senior officials in the El-Rufai administration, which served the people of Kaduna State between May 2015 and May 2023, we restate our pride in the dedication and integrity of our service. We have previously described the report circulating on social media as an unprofessional document, tainted by bias, exhibiting no serious interest in establishing facts. It is apparent that it is riddled with inaccuracies and instances of falsification and misrepresentation of the testimonies provided by invited officials. There is a dissonance between its recommendations and the testimonies that the ad-hoc committee heard.
“It bears restating that its conclusions seem to have been decided beforehand and were insulated from the facts. The report is an attempt to inflict maximum reputational damage on certain selected members of the Kaduna State Executive Council, Class of 2015-2023”.
The ex-cabinet members accused the lawmakers of fabricating figures related to the receipt and administration of state funds to deliberately malign their characters.
According to them, the auditor-general certified the state’s audited accounts from 2015-2022 and submitted them to the Assembly, along with unaudited accounts up to May 29, 2023.
According to them, the total funds receipts to El-Rufai’s administration from May 2015 to May 2023 amounted to N1.2 trillion. Total expenditure for the same period was N1.32 trillion, resulting in a budget deficit of N16.95 billion over the eight years. N838.961 billion was spent on capital projects, while public debt charges amounted to N7.81 billion.
The ex-commissioners faulted the lawmakers figure of N1.236 trillion as total financial inflow into the state and local government areas, pointing out that “if the committee’s total figure of inflows above are correct, it means only N266 billion was available to the state government for all capital projects over eight years.
“If the committee’s total inflows are correct, only N266 billion was available to the state government for all capital projects over eight years”.
Development in Kaduna metropolis alone, the ex-commissioners noted exceeds N266 billion.
Other ex-commissioners at the press briefing were: Hafsat Baba (Ministry of Human Services and Social Development), Thomas Gyang (Public Works and Infrastructure, Planning and Budget Commission), Bashir Saidu (Ministry of Finance), Ibrahim Husaini (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), Aisha Dikko (Ministry of Justice), Fausat Ibikunle (Ministry of Housing and Urban Development), and Idris Nyam (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Technology).
