The Kaduna State House of Assembly announced on Wednesday that it has uncovered extensive fraudulent activities disguised as project execution during the administration of former governor Nasir El-Rufai.
The Assembly accused certain political appointees of attempting to tarnish the House’s reputation and conceal the alleged corruption.
In a statement issued by the Chair of the Fact-Finding Committee and Deputy Speaker, Barrister Henry Magaji, the lawmakers alleged that there was a systematic and coordinated effort to embezzle the state’s resources through fake contracts and outright theft.
The statement reads in part: “The attention of the Kaduna State House of Assembly has been drawn to a press conference addressed by some senior political appointees of the immediate past administration of Malam Nasir El-Rufai. In the press conference, the former political appointees made strenuous efforts to pick holes in the report of the Probe Committee. They resorted to name-calling and wild allegations on the motivations for the House Probe. We wish to state as follows:
“The press conference was just a rehash of the vituperations and innuendos heaped on us by the former political appointees in their first press briefing. There was nothing new that should warrant our response. They failed to address the main issue, which is the systematic and coordinated cornering of the resources of Kaduna State through phoney contracts and outright looting.
“The State House of Assembly, in line with its constitutional mandate and in response to public demand, carried out a thorough probe into the humongous debts incurred by the immediate past administration without commensurate projects. We dug deep and unearthed the monumental heist carried out in Kaduna State in the guise of project execution. Our findings revealed a litany of poorly executed projects, abandoned projects, and projects that exist only in the imagination of executive scammers.
“We have called on anti-corruption agencies to step in and invite indicted persons for questioning. It is the anti-corruption agencies that can either validate or disprove our findings, not individuals who spent their days in public office cornering the common patrimony of the people of Kaduna State and mortgaging the future of its children and grandchildren.
“We are currently in court with the head of the indicted administration, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, over the issue of fair hearing. We shall not comment on the matter because it is sub-judice. We stand for the rule of law and due process.”
The Assembly’s findings have raised significant concerns about the financial management and accountability of the previous administration, prompting calls for a comprehensive investigation by anti-corruption agencies.
