Kaduna State lawmaker Henry Marah has faulted ex-governor Nasir El-Rufai’s claim of running leading an administration of integrity, saying he “mercilessly” depleted the state’s resources and acquired humongous loans worth over $700 million on projects that would take at least 20 years to complete.
Mr Marah stated that Mr El-Rufai left his successor wallowing in $758 million debt that he couldn’t account for.
Mr Marah is the chairman of the committee investigating Mr El-Rufai’s alleged financial misconduct during his eight-year term which ended in May 2023.
The lawmaker argued that it was absurd that the state only incurred $235 million in debt which was later cleared in all of the 50 years, specifically between 1965 and 2015 prior to Mr El-Rufai’s administration. He added that the ex-governor in just eight years in office took out new loans totalling $758 million.
Mr Marah said that Mr El-Rufai in 2015 inherited a buoyant state with N3 billion in government coffers to kick-start his administration, a feat he could not replicate as he rather left his successor to drown in debt.
“From 1965 to when he (El-Rufai) was handed power to, the total debt taken by Kaduna State was $235 million,” Mr Marah explained on Channels TV on Wednesday. “In the eighth year of his reign, he singlehandedly took $758 million.”
“By the time he (El-Rufai) came into office in 2015, the domestic debt incurred by the previous government was completely wiped off. He came in, there was zero debt, and then they left behind for him monies worth about N34 billion to kick off his government,” the Kaduna legislator stated.
Mr El-Rufai had rebuffed fraud allegations claiming they were politically motivated, insisting that he ran a government of integrity.
But Mr Marah queried Mr El-Rufai’s so-called integrity amid huge loans obtained from the Africa Development Bank and Islamic Bank expended on projects that he executed “60 per cent” halfway and later abandoned.
The lawmaker stressed that the claims were not made up as there were documents to buttress his assertions.
“There were several millions of dollars collected from Africa Development Bank and Islamic Bank to execute specific projects that were never done,” Mr Marah stated. “Let us see how he will shamelessly respond to these things (accusations).”
Mr El-Rufai last year fell out with his successor, Uba Sani, currently bearing the burden of his predecessor’s alleged financial misdeeds.