Kaduna State House of Assembly yesterday set up a 13-man ad-hoc committee to investigate financial transactions, loans, grants and projects execution of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai administration.
The House unanimously agreed to set up the committee for the investigation of the former governor Nasir El-Rufai’s administration.
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The member representing Kaura constituency, Hon Yusuf Mugu, moved the motion on the matter of public importance that the loan borrowed by the former governor be investigated.
Mugu said that there is need for people of the state to know the conditions used for the loan.
“There have been uncompleted comments and assassination of character on the leadership of the State which the assembly cannot sit and watch. That was why I came up and moved this motion, that the Speaker constitute a committee to investigate the allegation and negative comments on them. This is the only way the State can rekindle its confidence in its development partners, collaborators, and also those who give us loans and grants, failure to do this will push the indicators of the State to a situation whereby nobody will want to do business with us”.
Recall that the governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani on March 30, 2024 in a town hall meeting disclosed that he inherited a huge debt burden of $587m, N85 billion and 115 contractual liabilities from the immediate past government.
The former speaker of the assembly, Hon. Yusuf Zailani, who also spoke on the issue, noted that he suffered during El-Rufai administration, adding that he denied approval of some of the loans but the governor still had his way.
Zailani who is also the member representing Igabi West constituency, said, “I suffered a lot in not giving approval for the loan to be collected, even the then deputy Speaker Isaac Auta Zankhai was against me because I disagreed for the loan to be collected. I told the then governor to look at the number of loans we had on the ground, and he didn’t listen to me.”
Samuel Kambai, member representing Zangon Kataf and Hon. Henry Zachariah Marah, member representing Jaba constituency, explained that the duty of the legislators is to give approval before the governor goes ahead to collect the loan, but in Kaduna, the case was different.
The duo, therefore, urged the committee to summon the 8th and 9th assembly speakers, along with some members of the same assembly, to come and give explanations on how the loans were collected and spent.
The speaker of the House, Hon. Yusuf Dahiru Liman, who presided over the plenary session urged the ad-hoc committee to invite the speakers of 8th and 9th Assembly and all other relevant stakeholders and agencies for investigation.
He assured the House that the matter would be properly looked into, saying they would give everyone the liberty to speak the truth.
The House unanimously requested handing over notes given to Uba Sani by the previous administration so that it would guide the committee on the financial status of the state.