Kaduna’s Debt: IPAC Urges Sani To Form Inquiry Commission On Inherited Debts From El-Rufai

The Kaduna State Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has advised Governor Uba Sani to establish a commission of inquiry to investigate the actual amount of the substantial debts left behind by his predecessor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai.

The Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, Kaduna State, Ahmed Tijani Mustapha, conveyed during a press briefing in Kaduna on Monday that IPAC, in its role as custodians of democratic ideals, norms, and good governance and as beacons of democracy, would persist in shaping Kaduna State’s political landscape and advancing the collective interests of the people, government, and its diverse political parties.

He reiterated IPAC’s ongoing contribution to moulding Kaduna State’s political environment and its commitment to furthering the collective interests of the people, government, and various political entities.

Mustapha remarked on the troubling situation revealed by Governor Uba Sani, who disclosed the staggering debt of $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 contractual commitments passed down from the previous administration, resulting in financial constraints, including difficulties in salary payments.

He decried the selfish and fraudulent scheme’s negative consequences, emphasizing how it not only hindered the state’s development and progress but also caused financial strain, including leveraging the state’s IGR as collateral for specific local banks.

The chairman affirmed the Kaduna State IPAC’s backing of transparent governance and echoed support for the governor’s determination to navigate the state through its difficulties, notwithstanding the significant debt load.

Mustapha said, “We will continue to promote enabling good governance and accountability in governance.

“We are highly amazed and proud of His Excellency’s vision and wisdom with all these huge debt burdens that are eating deep into the state’s monthly federal allocation and with the state finding it difficult to pay monthly salaries, but he remains resolute and focused on trying to build a better Kaduna State without borrowing a kobo in the last nine months of his administration.”

As a matter of urgency, he called on the governor to constitute a commission of inquiry that would unravel “the selfish mystery of the huge debt burdens of 587 million dollars and 85 billion naira in systematic executive corruption and the 115 contractual liabilities he inherited.”

He emphasized that the outcomes of such an inquiry commission should be disseminated to the people of Kaduna State through a similar town hall meeting.