Protesters from the Kaduna Citizens Watch for Good Governance (KCWGG) gathered at the Kaduna Government House, demanding an investigation and the arrest of former governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai for allegedly misappropriating N423 billion.
On Thursday, the demonstrators called on the current Governor, Uba Sani, to enlist the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other relevant agencies to arrest and prosecute El-Rufai for the alleged financial misconduct.
Chanting solidarity songs, the protesters held placards with messages such as ‘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.’
During a town hall meeting on March 30th, 2024, Governor Uba Sani disclosed that the state was burdened with a significant debt of $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 contractual liabilities, inherited 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 established an ad-hoc committee to investigate the state’s financial transactions from May 29th, 2015, to May 29th, 2023. The committee, chaired by Barrister Henry Danjuma Magaji, presented its findings on June 5th, 2024, uncovering substantial unaccounted funds and financial irregularities.
The report detailed the mismanagement of funds, diversion of loans, overpayments to contractors, and a lack of transparency in the use of state resources.
Addressing journalists, Comrade Victor Duniya, Chairman of the protesting group, stated, “We, the Kaduna Citizens Watch for Good Governance, appreciate your presence as we express our grievances today. Our state has suffered from financial mismanagement, abuse of power, and a growing debt burden over the past eight years.”
He highlighted the report’s findings, including the diversion of 10.5 billion naira intended for pastoral nomadism and the construction of a Milk Industry in Damau, Kubau LGA, which was instead used to build Galaxy Mall in Kaduna. Additionally, the report uncovered overpayments to contractors, payments to unregistered companies, and disbursements for incomplete work totaling over 36.3 billion naira.
Furthermore, large sums were withdrawn from the state treasury without proper documentation, and an expenditure of over 11 billion naira was recorded for a non-existent MRT transportation scheme, with no supporting evidence.
Comrade Duniya urged Governor Sani to implement the relevant sections of the report within his authority and to forward the committee’s findings to the appropriate anti-corruption agencies for action and recovery of the state’s resources.
After the protest, Comrade Duniya met privately with 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, and others.