Politics

I can swear I never stole a kobo from the government coffers – Gov El-Eufai

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The governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai, has said he did not steal public funds during his two terms in office.

DailyTrust reports that the governor said this during his final media broadcast as governor held over the weekend.

“I can swear I never stole a kobo from the government coffers. For those that say we took loans, they should look, look at their money on the ground. We didn’t collect this loan and run away to Dubai to buy houses or go to Jabi Road to build a mansion so that we can sleep well, that is not how we are.

I became governor of Kaduna with only one house on Danja Road at Ungwan Sarki. Now am finishing to the glory of God, that is the only house I have. I didn’t build any mansion, I don’t need it.

I didn’t steal anybody’s money and I am challenging everyone that governed this state to also come out and swear with the Qur’an that, when they governed the state, they didn’t steal a kobo of Kaduna resource that is not their entitlement.”

Business, Politics

CBN confiscated and never swapped currency – El-Rufai

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Governor Nasir El-Rufai on Sunday, February 19, claimed that the Central Bank of Nigeria embarked on currency confiscation rather than a currency swap policy as announced earlier.  

In tweets he shared on Sunday evening, El-Rufai alleged that during the implementation of the cash swap, the CBN withdrew over N2 trillion from circulation and printed only N400 billion. 

The Kaduna state Governor also claimed that trade and exchange have collapsed as a result of the policy.

He added that it has also led to human suffering, impoverishment and economic contraction.  

He tweeted;  

“Currency redesign was approved by the President and announced. Currency recoloring resulted.

“Currency swap was envisaged by s.20(3) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act as approved by PMB. Swap means I take N100,000 to the bank in old notes & I receive N100,000 immediately in new notes. No more, no less.

“During implementation of the cash swap, the CBN withdrew over N2 trillion from circulation but printed only N400 billion, so in effect, currency confiscation was then unilaterally and unlawfully implemented by the CBN.

Trade and exchange have collapsed. Human suffering, impoverishment and economic contraction resulted.

“The policy objective was derailed into a deliberate national fiasco to sabotage the elections in the name of preventing vote-buying. All efforts to get CBN to implement what was lawfully approved failed.

“Some State Governments had no choice but to approach the Supreme Court for adjudication.

The APC as a party and the Progressive Governors Forum are unanimous that policy implementation must be reviewed, and full compliance of the subsisting ruling of the Supreme Court be observed until final judgment on the suit instituted by the State Governments.”

Business

El-Rufai spent N255 billion of N310 billion in 2022 budget- Accountant General

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Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s government spent N254.9 billion out of the N309.9 billion budgeted for 2022, representing 82.2 per cent of budget performance, leaving a variance of N55 billion.

This is according to the fourth quarter budget performance report produced by the accountant general’s office, with the support of the State Planning and Budget Commission.

The report, published on the government’s official website and obtained on Tuesday, shows that the initial budget was N278.6 billion but was revised to N309.9 billion.

On capital expenditure, the report shows that the government spent N165.6 billion against N196.8 billion budgeted for the year, representing 84.1 per cent performance and leaving a shortfall of N31.3 billion.

For recurrent expenditure, the government spent N89.3 billion against N113 billion, representing 79 per cent performance with a shortfall of N23.8 billion.

On revenue performance, the government realised N255.2 billion as against the N309.9 billion projected, representing 82.2 per cent performance with a variance of N54.7 billion.

The recurrent revenue made up of the government share of the Federation Allocation Account Committee and internally generated revenue was N150.3 billion as against N157.7 billion, representing 95.3 per cent performance with a variance of N7.5 billion.

The Kaduna government’s FAAC share was N90.3 billion against N83.2 billion, representing 108.5 per cent performance with an increase of N7.5 billion.

The IGR was N59.98 billion against the N74.5 billion, representing 80.5 per cent performance and leaving a variance of N14.6 billion.

The report also shows that transfer to capital account amounted to N103.5 billion against N87.3 billion, representing 118 per cent performance and recording an increase of N16.3 billion.

Capital receipt made up of aid and grant, and capital development fund (CDF) receipt for the year amounted to N62.3 billion as against N109.6 billion, representing 56.9 performance with a variance of N47.2 billion.

Aid and grant were N40.3 billion against N63.3 billion, representing 63.6 per cent performance with a variance of N23 billion, while CDF was N22.1 billion as against N46.3 billion, representing 47.7 per cent performance.

On revenue generation by ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), the finance ministry led with N143.6 billion, representing 96.2 per cent of the N149.3 billion targeted for the year.

The Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service also generated N35.3 billion, representing 117.7 per cent of the N29.9 billion target, recording an increase of N5.3 billion.Similarly, the Kaduna State Urban Planning and Development Authority generated N2.1 billion against N3.6 billion, while Kaduna Geographic Information Management Service generated NN5.1 billion against the N12.5 billion target.

The health sector recorded 84.2 per cent performance on expenditure performance with N31.3 billion expenditure against the N37.2 billion budgeted for the year.

The health ministry spent N17.4 billion against the N18.8 billion budgeted, representing 92 per cent performance, followed by the State Primary Health Care Board, with N8.7 billion against N9 billion, representing 96 per cent performance.

The education sector also recorded a budget performance of 82.9 per cent, with N66.2 billion expenditure against the N79.9 billion allocated for the year.

The State Universal Basic Education Board spent N20.1 billion out of the N22.6 billion allocation for the year, representing 91 per cent performance.

The education ministry followed with an expenditure of N33 billion out of the N37.3 billion allocation for the year, representing 88.4 per cent performance.

Yusuf Goje, a public finance analyst, observed that despite the commendable performance of the IGR, many of the revenue-generating MDAs did not meet their targets.

Mr Goje also pointed out that while education, health and public works and infrastructure sub-sectors performed above 80 per cent, the agricultural sector recorded only 50 per cent performance.

He explained that the sector spent only N1.2 billion out of its N2.3 billion allocation while describing the development as “very disturbing,” considering the sector’s contribution to Kaduna’s economy.

Business, Lifestyle, Politics

NNPC’s failure to remit funds has plunged many states into distress – El-Rufai

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Governor Nasir El-Rufai has again lashed out at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited for not remitting any revenue into the federation’s account since the beginning of this year.

El-Rufai who spoke at the 2022 Tax Dialogue organised by the Kaduna State Revenue Service in the state capital on Monday, November 7, said NNPC’s failure to remit revenue into the federation’s account has plunged some states into distress.

The Kaduna state Governor noted that federal and state governments now rely on revenues and taxes generated by the Federal Inland Revenue Service and Nigerian Customs Service for survival.

He also disclosed that some states can no longer pay salaries and fulfil their social contract to citizens.

Business

There is no reason why the Nigerian Government should still be in the oil and gas sector- El-Rufai

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Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has said there’s no reason why the federal Government should still be in the oil and gas sector.

Channels Television reported that, in his speech at the seventh edition of KadInvest, an annual event organised by the Kaduna State Investment Promotion Agency, the Kaduna state Governor noted that some sectors doing well in the country like entertainment, telecoms, fintech and others have no government involvement.

According to the Kaduna state Governor, whatever the government manages turns out bad. El-Rufai who fruther averred that the commercialization of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company in July 2022 has changed nothing, also said that the NNPC is Nigeria’s biggest problem and should be privatized.

The Governor pointed out that Nigerian Telecommunications Limited achieved nothing until the private sector came in and revolutionalized the telecoms business.

He reportedly also called for the privatization of the power sector so the country can overcome the hydra-headed and decades-long challenges of the sector.

He said;

“I am giving this example so that when I say government should get out of oil and gas, people should not think it is crazy; it is not.

There is no reason why the Nigerian Government should still be in the oil and gas sector. It should just get out, it has failed. By every measure it has failed.

“This year, NNPC has not brought N20,000 to the federation account. We are living on taxes. It is PPTs, royalties, income tax and VAT that is keeping this country going because NNPC claims that subsidy has taken all the oil revenues. I don’t believe it.

“So, the government should sell everything in oil and gas sector…The government should get out of everything that is left of electricity, leave it to the private sector, create the environment, the money will come. We did it in the telecoms sector.

“Nothing has changed, it’s just a change in name with limited at the end.“Nothing has changed, they are still taking our money, declaring profit that we don’t see the dividends.”

Politics

Presidential running mate: Don’t divide Nigeria – Dikwa warns El-Rufai, others

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As presidential candidates of the dominant political parties narrow down their search for running mates, Rev. Kallamu Musa Ali Dikwa, the Director-General, Centre for Justice on Religious and Ethnicity in Nigeria has warned against dividing the country with religion.

Speaking to DAILY POST in an exclusive interview, Dikwa lamented the utterances of some Nigerians over who becomes the running mate to the presidential candidates of political parties for the 2023 general elections.

He said, “These days, I have been reading about who will be the running mate to the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2023 general elections. I also observed that all the prominent Muslim politicians, northern Muslim governors, Muslim traditional rulers, with their Islamic scholars, saying that if a Muslim from the north is not picked as running mate, they’re not going to vote for him.”

He noted that it meant that it was planned a long time ago by the core northern Muslims to cause confusion in the country if Muslims do not rule the country as President and Vice President.

According to Rev. Dikwa, Nigerians have come to a time where they would unite themselves irrespective of religion or tribe by carrying every part of the country along towards ensuring a formidable nation.

He said that a Christian/Christian or Muslim/Muslim ticket does not speak well on the sincerity of Nigerians in ensuring fairness to all for the progress and development of the country.

He said that it was counter-productive for a country like Nigeria to still believe that it is only a particular religion that has those that can direct the affairs of the country.

According to him, “It is very unfortunate that some preachers are inciting and brainwashing their followers that they have the capacity in the country to produce a President and Vice President.

“Both the PDP and the APC have their presidential candidates as Muslims. Is it not enough to also see the sportsmanship of Christians to vote without thinking of the two being Muslims?

“We have the VCDs of the preachers and now they’re trying to test the ground to implement the agenda.”

He asked, “Does it mean in the entire North there is no capable Christian that has the ability and technical know-how to effectively be a running mate to any of the presidential candidates except Muslims? I strongly expect the Muslim clerics and politicians from the North to see it as their duty to preach unity of both Christians and Muslims to their fellow brothers and sisters for a unified country.”

He further explained, “Christians must stop being afraid but be bold and take their position in this country politically, financially materially and spiritually.

“Christians also have the capacity of producing a Christian President at any time. We have an evidence book of that in our hands. Comparative religious statistics of the West African Region gives a good indication of the numerical strength of Islam vis-a-vis other religious. A country by country profile of Islam, Christianity and Traditional religion is presented in items of percentages by American-based organization, Patrick Johntone’s Operation World 2001: Muslims 41.00%, Christians 52.61%.”

He added, “Another book written by the Nigerian government agency in 2009, with 27 committee members, entitled “Nigeria Ethnic Value”, gives religious statistics between Muslims, Christians and Traditional Religion: Muslims 41.3%, Christians 43.55%, Traditionalists 5.23%. We have written 2 letters concerning this matter to the National Population Commission to give us the truth about these figures but they didn’t respond to our letters till date.

“I have watched governor Nasiru Ahmed El-Rufai’s interview with Channels TV, and he said during the 2019 elections in Kaduna State, he picked his running mate Muslim/Muslim and won. But Governor El-Rufai is not telling Nigerians the strategy he used on Southern Kaduna people, that he stopped the people of the area from coming out to cast their votes for the candidate of their choice.”

He asked: “Is Governor El-Rufai telling us that the same strategy he used on Southern Kaduna people, they are going to use it during the forthcoming 2023 general elections? To use Fulani terrorists, ISWAP and Ansaru’s Jihadists to destabilize other parts of the country in the forthcoming 2023 general elections, especially in the Christian communities or what? Nigerians must caution governor El-Rufai. Is the Owo Church attack in Ondo State a sign of the plan to send terrorists on Nigerians?”

Politics

El-Rufai’s plan to hire foreign mercenaries against terrorists counter-productive – PDP

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday, warned the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, against hiring foreign mercenaries to fight terrorists in Nigeria.

The governors had told journalists on Saturday he would be forced to hire foreign mercenaries to tackle the bandits if the Federal Government and security agencies fail to crush the criminals in the North-West.

However, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the party argued that El-Rufai’s contemplation of mercenaries in the fight against the bandits was an admission of the federal government’s failure in the ongoing fight against insecurity.

The party said the murder of thousands of Nigerians by terrorists since the All Progressives Congress (APC) took took over power in 2015 was the result of the actions and comments by APC leaders and government officials who encouraged terrorism in the name of politics.

The statement read: “Nigerians can still recall how in July 2021, Governor El-Rufai, when asked why the Federal Government was lethargic in going after bandits (terrorists) stated that the bandits (terrorists) are collections of independent criminals for whom banditry is a business.

Nigerians can also recall how ahead of the 2019 general elections, Governor El-Rufai threatened that ‘those that are calling for anyone to come and intervene in Nigeria, we are waiting for the persons that will come and intervene, they will go back in body bags.

The media was also awash with reports of how governors of APC-controlled states, especially in the North West region of the country publicly romanced and empowered terrorists by paying them billions of naira of public funds in various hurried, uncoordinated and hazy negotiations.

“Nigerians have not forgotten how in November 2020 the Muhammadu Buhari Presidency through its spokesperson, Shehu Garba, rationalized the beheading of 43 rice farmers in Borno State by terrorists and blamed the farmers for not obtaining clearance before going to their farms.

“The PDP, however, wants Governor El-Rufai to know that his suggestion or threats to import foreign mercenaries is counter-productive and capable of compounding the already dire security situation in our country.

Lifestyle

El-Rufai orders public schools in Kaduna to run for four days weekly

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The Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has mandated all public schools in the state to operate a four-day workweek as schools reopen for the second term on Monday, January 10, for the 2021/2022 academic session.

The directive which was dispatched to heads of public schools in the state in a memo signed by the state Commissioner for Education, Halima Lawal, on Sunday, was to align with the government’s recent transition to four-day working week.

In the notice, Lawal notified “all parents, guardians, and the public that the state government has approved January 10 as the resumption date for the 2nd term of the 2021/2022 academic session.”

“The Kaduna State Government wishes to inform parents, guardians and the public that the resumption date for the second term of the 2021/2022 academic session earlier slated for Monday, January 10th, 2021, remains unchanged.

Beginning from Monday, January 10, all public schools are to run a four-day work week to align with government’s new transition to a four-day work week.

“The ministry further advises parents, guardians and students to comply with all public health guidelines by adopting all protective measures against COVID-19.

“Additionally, administrators and proprietors of public and private schools and other learning centres, including Islamiyya and Madrasas, are encouraged to sustain school-based security committees set up to ensure safety of students in schools,” she said.

Politics

El-Rufai charges security to bomb bandits’ hideouts in Nigeria’s North-West

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The Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, on Monday charged the security agents to completely flush out the bandits from their hideouts in the North-West.

The governor, who made the call during an interview on Arise TV, said inadequate security personnel was the reason why the bandits continued to reign supreme in the region.

He called for the deployment of more security personnel, technology, and military equipment against the bandits.

El-Rufai said: “These bandits operate in the periphery because their hiding place is in the forest. It’s a major problem. The security agencies are doing their best but they are overstretched.

The reality is we don’t have enough boots on the ground to address the myriad of security challenges that we face, and these security challenges are asymmetric, widespread, and there’s no part of Nigeria that doesn’t have one security problem or the other.

“Ramp up the number of boots and more technology and more investment in armament and wipe these guys once and for all.

“I have always believed that, you know, we should carpet-bomb the forests; we can replant the trees after. Let’s carpet-bomb the forests and bomb all of them. There will be collateral damage, but it’s better to wipe them out and get people back to our communities so that agriculture and rural economies can pick up.”

Politics

Group urges US to designate Buhari, Tinubu, El-Rufai terrorism sponsors

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A United States-based non-profit organisation, Global Advocates for Terrorism Eradication (GATE), on Friday urged President Joe Biden to designate President Muhammadu Buhari, former Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai and some officials of the Nigerian government as sponsors of terrorism in the country.

Also listed in the petition are former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, the Director-General of Department of State Services, Yusuf Magaji Bichi, former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, his Information and Culture counterpart, Lai Mohammed and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

In a 26-page petition signed by GATE’s Principal Advocate, Robert Berry, and addressed to the US Secretary of State, Anthony J. Blinken, the group described the killings in several parts of the country as state-sponsored terrorism.”

It also alleged that the Nigerian government officials were “sponsoring terrorism by carrying out terrorist activities including training, funding, financing, and recruitment of terrorists using their offices as a safe haven, transit and operational base for terrorists.”

The petition read: “The Nigerian government officials have deployed the instrumentality of power and are using the veil of sovereignty in knowingly consenting and with malicious intent allowing and promoting the use of Nigeria as a breeding ground and recruitment nursery for international terrorism activities contrary to foreign relations authorizations act fiscal years 1988 and 1989 (P.L.100 to 204:22 U.S.C 2656f), as amended.

“The current Nigerian Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari is executing a global Jihadist agenda that is comparable, if not more insidious, than that of the Taliban’s of Afghanistan.

“It is even more dangerous because it is mixed with genocidal tendencies. It is in the best interest of the United States and all the democratic countries of the world to identify this threat early and address it now.

“This is to prevent the further spread of the global jihadist agenda of the Buhari government and to arrest an imminent ethnic and religious genocide.”

The group also gave Washington a two-month notice to act on its petition, saying it would be forced to head to the US Federal Court to apply for a Writ of Mandamus to compel Biden and Blinken to issue the designation in line with the provisions of law.”

Politics

El-Rufai insists on sacking workers despite agitations by organised labour

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In the aftermath of the suspended strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has reiterated his pledge towards ensuring a revamp of the state’s civil service by sacking unqualified workers for the development of the state.

The Governor made this assertion via a statement issued on Saturday while commending the residents for their forbearance during the strike period.

According to El-Rufai, his administration is “verifying personnel records to remove staff without the required qualifications or with fake qualifications. While we exit unqualified and poorly skilled people, we continue to recruit more teachers, health workers and other professionals for our agencies.

“Therefore, we will rightsize the public service in the interest of the state. In shrinking the public service, we will reduce the number of political appointees and civil servants.”

The Governor also lauded the resilience of Kaduna residents “in the face of the sustained assault on your rights, freedoms, and livelihoods by the NLC over the previous four days.

We appreciate the calm response by our citizens to the NLC’s unwarranted provocation, lawlessness, and denial of essential services.

“The Kaduna State Government wishes to express its regrets that such lawlessness was permitted by those with the duty to prevent it. We sympathise with all our citizens for the denial of electricity for four days and the persistent attempt to disrupt normal life and prevent government offices, hospitals, banks, and other private businesses from functioning.

“As your government, we will pursue accountability for the crimes that have been committed and seek remedies for our people.”

He further berated the organised labour for singling out Kaduna State despite the fact that “it is the first government, whether federal or state, to start implementing the new minimum wage.

“From September 2019, we began paying the new wages with consequential adjustments that raised take-home pay by up to 66%. Our 23 local government councils also complied.

“Many states are yet to pay these wages, while some that began paying have reversed it. But it is the state that is consistently paying that the NLC came to sabotage. We will not become a state that only pays salary, and no amount of pressure will change that. We are a state that believes in progress and development, and we will continue to prioritize this.

We cannot continue to use 84% to 96% of our revenues to pay salaries of less than 1% of the population. The rest of our people, all 99% of them, need better schools, hospitals, water supply, roads, markets, and support for agriculture to make a living outside government.”

Let us all stand together against the entitled unionists who invaded our state to inflict pain and misery on our people. I assure you that the Kaduna State Government will always put the people first.”

Politics

El-Rufai stands ground against labour’s threat of strike, says we will not succumb to cheap blackmail

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The Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai has called the bluff of organized labour by saying his government will not succumb to ‘cheap blackmail’ on the strike notice which has been called for tomorrow, May 17.

In a statement during a press conference on Saturday in Kaduna, El-Rufai who was represented by Head of Service, Bariatu Muhammed, described the threat by labour to embark on a strike over the refusal of the state government to follow laid down rules in the recent sacking of some civil servants as a futile gesture, warning that he would not condone any disruption of essential services in the state as a result of the strike.

According to the government, the trade unions planned to use hoodlums during the strike to disrupt the peace of the state and had notified security agencies to take action.

As is appropriate, the security agencies have been notified of the plans of some trade unionists to recruit hoodlums, including from other states, to create a destructive spectacle and further their self-serving narrative about public service jobs and insecurity.

“The government has made it clear that it is not sustainable to persist in spending 84% to 96% of its FAAC receipts on salaries and personnel costs as has been the experience of the state since October 2020.

This government was not elected to devote most public funds to paying government workers and treat that as its defining governance mission, to the detriment of developing the state and its people. The government explained that the rightsizing of the public service would affect political appointees and civil servants.

“The necessary verification of credentials for full implementation of this painful but necessary decision is still being done. It has not determined the total number of officers that might be affected by the decision.

The Kaduna State Government prefers to take lawful and rational steps that are within its powers to rightsize its personnel and thereby reduce its wage bill. We will not, therefore, succumb to the veritable campaign of lies and misrepresentation by the trade unions on the matter.”

Politics

El-Rufai tasks security agents to fish out hoodlums who destroyed ECWA Church’s pavilion

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Security agencies in Kaduna State have been given matching orders to fish out hoodlums who destroyed a pavilion belonging to the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in the Zango Kataf Local Government Area of the state.

The state Governor, Nasir el-Rufai gave the directive in a statement on Friday by the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan.

el-Rufai, according to the statement, condemned the destruction of the pavilion, which was set up by the church specifically for a conference.

The statement reads: “The Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai has condemned the burning of a pavilion arranged for a church conference in Zangon Kataf Local Government.

“The Government of Kaduna state received security reports detailing the incident, which stated that a pavilion erected by the leadership of the ECWA Church ahead of its conference was set ablaze by unknown persons at a location near the Palace of the Agwatyap.

“The Governor who frowned at the incident directed security agencies to carry out diligent investigation towards identifying and punishing the culprits.

“Investigations into the incident are in progress.”

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