A member of the Kaduna State Transition Committee, Malam Uba Sani, has described as worrisome the debt profile of the state which he said is unjustifiable.
Speaking to newsmen in Abuja at the weekend, Malam Uba said the committee was shocked to discover that the state is indebted to the tune of over N100 billion. He said the mess on ground “is simply unprintable”.
He lamented that part of their findings showed reckless expenditure and mismanagement of resources by the outgoing government of Kaduna state. While comparing the indebtedness of Lagos state with that of Kaduna State, he said Lagos has used its debt to execute meaningful projects.
He explained that unlike Kaduna, Lagos seems more determined to generate revenue and could pay back its debt.
He said with a revenue base of N28 billion monthly, Lagos has what it takes to settle all its debts. He noted that in the case of Kaduna, it is hard to say even N1 billion could be generated monthly.
Malam Uba, who is also the Head of sub-committee on projects, assured the people of the state that governor-elect, Malam Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai is equal to the task of fulfilling his electoral promises. He explained that the governor-elect has track record of transforming even the most complicated government agencies, while stressing that “Malam would not disappoint the masses, who donated N1,000 each to support his campaign and followed up with their votes”.
Malam Uba Sani noted that el-Rufa’i’s pedigree was also attested to by president-elect General Muhammadu Buhari, who said during campaigns that his support for El-Rufai’s candidature was because he is capable, committed and honest in the discharge of his responsibilities.
Malam Uba said by the time the El-Rufai administration gets down to business, the challenge of unemployment, collapsed industries and official corruption would be a thing of the past. He said based on the manifesto of the incoming administration, there will be economic diversification into the neglected area of agriculture, which has great potential for employment opportunities.
The project sub-committee chairman declined giving details of the committee’s findings to the newsmen, saying the main committee would do what is right and at the appropriate time. He then commended the people of Kaduna for reposing their confidence in the governor-elect, Malam Nasir El-Rufa’i, saying “We are on track to turn around the fortunes of Kaduna.” [myad]
