Kaduna State Governor-elect and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasir el-Rufai, said on Tuesday that the incoming government of Muhammadu Buhari would ask corrupt politicians to return every kobo stolen by them. He also said that the Buhari administration would inherit a huge debt from the Goodluck Jonathan government. The governor-elect told executive members of the National Union of Textile Garments and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, who visited him in Kaduna, that such politicians must be ready to return all ill-gotten funds after May 29. El-Rufai said:
“We will politely ask those who stole government money to return the funds. This is because the people, who are in government now, are there to work for themselves. But the APC government is made up of people who are ready to work for the masses and the betterment of the country. We will work with the textile unions to ensure that the lives of the average Nigerians get better.”
The ex-minister also decried the poor state of the textile industry in Kaduna State and gave assurance that his administration would revamp it. He lamented the current employment figure of 1,600 people in the textile sector, describing it as unacceptable. El-Rufai added that the textile industry in Kaduna alone used to employ about 33,000 workers.
According to him , the APC government will revive the industry so that it can generate employment and impact on the lives of the people. He said:
“We have met at a forum of northern governors-elect and we decided to ensure the revival of the textile industry. It is a shame that the largest economy in Africa imports textile materials from Senegal and other countries.”
The President of the union, Oladele Hunsu, recalled el-Rufai’s feat as minister of the FCT and urged him (el-Rufai) to take steps towards reviving the textile industry.