By Abiola Olawale
There is palpable tension and panic in Kaduna State as hundreds of protesters stormed the State Government House, demanding the immediate arrest of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
The protesters under the aegis of the Kaduna Citizens Watch for Good Governance, during the demonstration called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigerian Police Force(NPF) and other security agencies to immediately arrest El-Rufai for investigations.
The protesters chanted solidarity songs just as they displayed placards such as ‘We will occupy all MDAs to chase out all indicted persons in the report’. ‘Stop servicing all loans that did not follow due process before they were obtained’, to press home their demands.
Addressing the press during the demonstration, the leader of the protesting group, Comrade Victor Duniya, said the reason for the protest was to ensure the report that indicted El-Rufai was not swept under the carpet.
Duniya emphasized that the protest was necessary to demand thorough investigations into the borrowings and spending under the El-Rufai administration.
He said: “We, the Kaduna Citizens Watch for Good Governance appreciate your presence as we express our grievances today.
“Our state has endured financial mismanagement, abuse of power, and a growing debt burden for the past eight years.
“The most troubling finding was the diversion of 10.5 billion naira meant for pastoral nomadism and the construction of the Milk Industry at Damau, Kubau LGA, for the construction of Galaxy Mall, Kaduna.
“Additionally, the report uncovered overpayments to contractors, payments to uThe leader registered companies, and funds disbursed for work not completed, amounting to over 36.3 billion.
“The report also revealed large sums of money withdrawn from the state treasury without proper documentation of its usage.
“Furthermore, an expenditure of over 11 billion on a non-existent MRT transportation scheme was documented with no evidence to support would be recalled that on March 30, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State lamented the huge debt burden of $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 contractual liabilities inherited from the previous administration.”
The New Diplomat reports that El-Rufai came under scrutiny after his successor, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, on March 30, said he inherited a multibillion-naira debt from his predecessor, an enormous deficit he claims made salary payments to state workers a daunting task.
Shortly after, the Kaduna State House of Assembly constituted a committee on April 16, 2024, tasked with the mandate of embarking on a fact-finding insights into financial dealings, loans and grants and other projects implementation from 2015-2023”.
The Chairman of the Committee, Henry Zacharia, had presented the report of the Committee before the Kaduna State House of Assembly.
The Chairman noted that investigations revealed that most of the loans obtained under El-Rufai’s administration were allegedly diverted to finance other purposes.
He also advised that a comprehensive inquiry be conducted and legal action taken against El-Rufai and other indicted members of his administration by security and anti-corruption authorities.
