Members of the Kaduna Citizens Watch for Good Governance (KCWGG), on Thursday, gathered at the Government House in Kaduna, calling for the investigation and arrest of former Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.
The protesters urged current Governor Uba Sani to involve the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other relevant agencies to prosecute El-Rufai for financial mismanagement amounting to N423 billion.
They expressed their dissatisfaction, while chanting solidarity songs and displaying placards.
Some of the placards read, “We will occupy all MDAs to chase out all indicted persons in the report” and “Stop servicing all loans that did not follow due process before they were obtained.”
On March 30th, 2024, during a town hall meeting, Governor Uba Sani disclosed that the state had inherited a significant debt burden of $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 contractual liabilities from the previous administration.
He noted that over 70% of the state’s allocation was being used to service this debt.
In response, the Kaduna State House of Assembly formed an ad-hoc committee to investigate the state’s financial transactions from May 29th, 2015, to May 29th, 2023.
The committee, led by Barrister Henry Danjuma Magaji, presented its findings on June 5th, 2024, revealing substantial unaccounted funds and irregularities in financial transactions.
The report outlined mismanagement of funds, diversion of loans, overpayment of contractors, and lack of transparency in the use of state funds.
Specific issues included 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 cited overpayments to contractors, payments to unregistered companies, and disbursements for incomplete projects totaling over 36.3 billion.
Chairman of the protesting group, Comrade Victor Duniya, addressed journalists at the government house, stating, “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 unregistered 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 it.”
Duniya called on Governor Sani to act on the relevant sections of the report and forward the findings to anti-corruption agencies to recover the state’s resources.
Comrade Duniya was later received in a closed-door meeting by Deputy Governor Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, Secretary to the State Government Abdulkadir Meyere, Deputy Chief of Staff Umar Hassan Waziri, Private Personal Secretary Professor Bello Ayuba, among others.
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