Kaduna State governor-elect, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, yesterday reacted to the attempt by the outgoing state government to secure approval to spend N2.744 billion in SURE-P funds, with less than two weeks to its exit. The outgoing government has put pressure on the Kaduna State House of Assembly for the spending approval despite the fact that it will leave office on May 29.
The governor’s spokesperson, Samuel Aruwan, disclosed the incoming governor’s position in a press statement in Kaduna, stressing that the All Progressives Congress government in the state will punish anyone found to be culpable in the SURE-P funds diversion.
The governor-elect expressed regret that the outgoing government is putting pressure on the outgoing legislature for permission to spend 50% of the money on the Kawo road project, while the 23 local government councils will share the balance.
“As governor-elect, it is my duty to caution every official involved in these last-minute deals that the incoming government will ensure that there are consequences for illegal conduct, breach of trust and stealing of public assets,” El-Rufai warned. “Our government will certainly insist on accountability, and no one should be in any doubt about our resolve, be it the instigators of any impropriety or those who facilitated and executed it.”
He note that the transition committee is daily inundated with reports about the dire financial straits in which the outgoing government has placed the state, and warned that while he awaits the formal submission of the committee’s report, he is compelled to publicly affirm that we cannot and will not turn a blind eye to bad behavior.