The Kaduna State House of Assembly has recommended a probe into former governor Nasir El-Rufai for abuse of office and money laundering. This recommendation comes from an ad hoc committee set up by the House to investigate all finances, loans, and contracts awarded under El-Rufai’s administration.
The committee’s chairman, Henry Zacharia, presented the report during a plenary session on Wednesday, revealing that the majority of loans obtained during El-Rufai’s tenure were not used for their intended purposes and that due process was often not followed.
Speaker Yusuf Liman stated that El-Rufai’s administration siphoned off a total of N423 billion, leaving the state with significant liabilities. Consequently, the committee recommended that El-Rufai and other indicted members of his cabinet be investigated and prosecuted by security and anti-corruption agencies for abuse of office, contract irregularities, diversion of public funds, money laundering, and plunging Kaduna State into deep debt.
The committee also recommended the immediate suspension of Shizer Badda, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Finance who served under El-Rufai, and the chairman of the state universal basic education board. Additionally, a comprehensive inquiry was called for some key appointees of the previous government by appropriate law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies.
The committee was tasked with examining loans, grants, and project implementation from 2015 to 2023, during El-Rufai’s governorship.
Earlier reports by SaharaReporters highlighted how Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani lamented the huge debt inherited from El-Rufai on May 29, 2023. Sani disclosed that the state had insufficient funds to pay salaries.
At a Town Hall Meeting in March at the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Hall, Kaduna, Sani revealed that his administration inherited $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 contract liabilities from El-Rufai. Despite this, he has refrained from borrowing money in the last nine months, noting that the massive debt burden is significantly impacting the state’s Federal Allocation. Sani emphasized that due to the rise in the exchange rate, he is now repaying almost triple the amount borrowed by El-Rufai’s administration.