The Kaduna state house of assembly ad-hoc committee has indicted former governor Nasir El-Rufai and several of his aides for allegedly siphoning over four hundred and twenty-three billion naira (₦423,000,000,000) of state resources.
The ad-hoc committee set up by the State Assembly to investigate all finances, loans and contracts awarded by the administration of the former governor recommended that he should be investigated by appropriate law enforcement agencies for alleged diversion of funds and money laundering.
Presenting the report of his committee, the chairman, Henry Zacharia, stated that most of the loans obtained and projects implemented during El-Rufai’s tenure did not follow due process and were not used for the purposes for which they were allegedly obtained.
The committee alleged that El-Rufai “as the Chief Executive Officer of the state breached his Oath of Office contained in the 7th Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and failed to exercise due discretion in the administration of the state, plunging the state into unwanted, unjustified and fraudulent domestic and foreign debts over and above the total loans obtained by Kaduna State from 1965 to 1999 and majority of which were obtained without due process.”
It also accused El-Rufai of “reckless awards of contracts without due process and due execution leading to several abandoned projects despite payments”.
It further accused the administration of authorizing humongous withdrawals of cash both in naira and dollars, “with no records of utilization and denied the state of the needed resources for development.”
The report also accused the former governor of: “Complicit activities with commissioners and heads of parastatals to defraud the state by issuing directives to KADPPA to circumvent due process in the payment of contractors vide letter dated 21 June 2021.
“Diversion of funds and money laundering contrary to all extant laws and regulations and accordingly should be referred to the law enforcement agencies for in-depth investigation and appropriate action.”
On the huge debt profile left by El-Rufai, the committee declared that “all loans (domestic and foreign) obtained by the Kaduna State government between 29th May 2015 to 29th May 2023 were found to have been obtained without due process are not binding on the state and the state government should henceforth stop honouring all.”
The report further recommended that all those who served as Commissioners of Finance and Accountant Generals of the State from May 29, 2015, to May 29, 2023, be referred to the appropriate law enforcement agencies for investigation.
Also recommended for investigation by appropriate law enforcement agencies were the chairmen of Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service (KADIRS) from 2018 to 2023. The committee asked the current Commissioner for Finance to step aside to allow for proper investigation into the activities of the ministry from May 29, 2015, to May 29, 2023.
Similarly, the current chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) was asked to step aside to allow for thorough and proper investigation into the activities of the Board from May 29, 2015, to May 29, 2023.
Recommended for further investigations by relevant law enforcement agents, also, were Jimmy Lawal and Muyiwa Adekeye, who served the El-Rufai administration as Senior Adviser-Counsellor and Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication, respectively, for eight years.
The committee alleged that Jimmy Lawal “who was saddled with the coordination of the activities of Government Ministries and Agencies, albeit without any constitutional role, of abusing the trust bestowed on him and used the opportunity to introduce dubious companies to which he secured the award of several contracts at outrageous amount and which contracts were abandoned after payment of substantial contractual (amounts), thereby defrauding the Kaduna State Government.”
Adekeye was recommended for investigation for his alleged involvement in contracts in Kaduna State Media Corporation (KSMC).
The report said Managing Directors of Kaduna Roads Agency (KADRA) from October 11, 2017, to November 2021, with the exception of Amina Ja’afar Ladan, who only spent a month in office, “be referred to the appropriate law enforcement agencies for in-depth investigation into their roles in the award and poor execution of contracts during their tenure.”
The committee asked several contractors to refund a total of ₦36.3 billion “being monies paid for work either not done or overpayment or diversion.”
