Protesters, in large numbers, carrying placards with various inscriptions, have asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other relevant security agencies to arrest and prosecute the immediate past governor of the state, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, over his indictment of N423 billion fraud.
The demonstrators, under the auspices of Kaduna Citizens, Watch for Good Governance (KCWGG), made the request yesterday when they stormed the Kaduna State Government House and asked Governor Uba Sani to invite officials of anti-graft agencies to arrest his predecessor.
The protesters, who began trekking at about 11 am from the UTC Bus stop to the Government House, sang solidarity songs for Governor Sani and displayed several placards condemning financial mismanagement, abuse of power, and a growing debt burden for the past eight years by the el-Rufai administration.
Some of the inscriptions read, “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. “Jimi Lawal almost killed Kaduna State the way he killed a bank some years ago”.
On March 30, 2024, Governor Sani had disclosed during a town hall meeting that the state faced a substantial debt burden of $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 contractual liabilities inherited from the previous administration. This has led to over 70% of the state’s allocation being used to service the inherited debt.
In response, the Kaduna State House of Assembly constituted an ad hoc committee to investigate the state’s financial transactions from May 29, 2015, to May 29, 2023.
The committee, led by Hon Henry Danjuma Magaji, submitted its findings on June 5, 2024, revealing significant unaccounted funds and irregularities in financial transactions.
The report highlighted the mismanagement of funds, diversion of loans, overpayment of contractors, and the need for more transparency in using state funds.
At the Government House, the chairman of the protesting group, Comrade Victor Duniya, 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 N10.5 billion 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 N36.3 billion,” he said.
Duniya further noted that 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.
“While we were struggling to come to terms with the voodoo former Governor El-Rufai and his cabinet members deployed to cover the faces of Kaduna people from seeing all these atrocities, El-Rufai in his characteristically lousy manner, gathered members of his well-fed family to Sallah feast where he tacitly called on them in Hausa Language to bring down the government of Senator Uba Sani, which we believe it is as a result of the sin of allowing the legislative arm of government to work for the first time in over eight years,” he said.
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