The Kaduna State House of Assembly has launched an investigation into the financial transactions conducted during the tenure of former governor Nasir el-Rufa’i.
In an official letter referencing LEG/S. 382/VOL. II/615, sent from the office of the Clerk of the Kaduna State House of Assembly to the Commissioner of Finance, the Assembly requested the submission of memoranda and documents related to financial transactions between 2015 and May 2023.
According to the letter signed by the Clerk to the Legislature, Barr. Sakinatu Hassan Idris, the investigation was authorized by the Assembly during its One Hundred and Fiftieth (150th) Sitting on Tuesday, 16th April, 2024. The Ad-Hoc Committee was constituted in accordance with Order XVI Rule 9 of the Standing Orders and Rules of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, 2019, and Sections 103, 128 & 129 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as Amended).
The letter outlined the documents required, stating:
“Accordingly, I am directed to request you to forward to the Ad-Hoc Committee Memorandum to be accompanied with the Underlisted DOCUMENTS and all other documents you consider relevant to the assignment of the Committee:-
(i) Total Loans from May, 2015 to May, 2023 with the approvals of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, the Accounts into which the Loans were Lodged and draw. downs as recorded by Project Finance Management Unit (PFMU) & Debt Management Office (DMO).
(ii) Relevant State Executive Council Minutes of meetings, Council’s Extracts and Resolutions with regards to the Loans.
(iii) Payments and Outstanding Liabilities to Contractors from May, 2015- May, 2023.
(iv) Reports of Salaries paid to Staff from 2016-2022.
(v) Dloyd Reports on KADRIS from 2015 to 2023.
(vi) Terms, Purpose, and Conditions on those Loans.
(vii) Appropriation items related to the LOANS.
(viii) All Records of payments made to all Contractors engaged by the State Government and relevant documents from May, 2015 to May, 2023 including Bank Statements.
(ix) Modalities for payments of contracts.
(x) Documents of all payments made to the contractors.
(xi) Sales of Government Houses/Properties and Accounts the proceeds were lodged and how the money was expended.“
The directive instructed that 30 copies of the memo/documents must be submitted to the office of the Clerk to the Legislature by 10:00 am on Thursday, April 25th, 2024.
It is worth noting that prior to this, the Kaduna Assembly had issued a warning to Bello El-Rufai, son of the immediate past governor of the state, Nasir El-Rufai, against threatening and intimidating the House over the investigation of his father’s tenure.
