El-Rufai Probe: Kaduna Assembly writes Finance Ministry, MDAs

• demands vital documents from 2015-2023

The ad-hoc committee of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, tasked with investigating the former governor, Nasir El-Rufai, regarding the state’s debt burden, has commenced its inquiry.

The Assembly has formally requested the Ministry of Finance to provide documents on financial transactions spanning from May 29, 2015, to 2023 for scrutiny.

An official memo signed by the Clerk of the House, Mrs. Sakinatu Hassan Idris with reference number LEG/S.382/VOL.11/615 dated 22nd April, 2024 was addressed to the Commissioner of Finance.

The letter informed the Ministry that, the Kaduna State House of Assembly at its 150th Sitting on Tuesday, resolved and constituted an Ad-Hoc Committee to investigate financial transactions, contractual liabilities, and other related matters under el-Rufai’s administration.

According to the letter obtained by our correspondent, the Assembly said the request was following Order XVI Rule 9 of the Standing Orders ‘and Rules of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, 2019 and Section 103) 9 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 ( as Amended).

It read in part that, “accordingly l am directed to request you to forward to the Ad-Hoc Committee Memorandum to be accompanied with the under listed documents and all other documents you consider vital to the assignment of the committee.”

The request made by the House covered the total Loans from May 29th, 2015 to May 29th, 2023, the approvals of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, the Accounts into which the Loans were lodged, and drawdowns as recorded by the Project Finance Management Unit (PFMU) & Debt Management Office (DMO).

Also demanded are the relevant State Executive Council Minutes of meetings, Council’s Extracts, and Resolutions With regards to the Loans, Payments, and Outstanding Labilities to Contractors from May 2015 to May 2023.

Also requested are the reports of Salaries paid to Staff in the State from 2016 — 2022, reports on KADIRS from 2015 to 2023, and terms, Purpose, and Conditions on those loans drawn by the El-Rufai administration.

Similarly requested by the House are “appropriation items related to the Loans, 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, Modalities for payments of contracts, documents of all payments made to the contractors, sales of Government Houses/Properties and Accounts the proceeds were lodged and how the money was expended.”

It was also gathered that similar requests were also made to other Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs).