By Dan Magaji Ushafa
The conclusion in Kaduna and Abuja political circles is that Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State is overtly protecting his friend and predecessor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai despite the startling revelations of financial malfeasance in El-Rufai’s eight years as governor -the N2 billion wheat farming project undertaken by Jimi Lawal of the Alpha Merchant Bank fame, which yielded only 20 bags; the $10 million obsolete power equipment imported by Jimi Lawal from Abu Dhabi and the $40 million Kaduna State Safe City project, which despite full payment has not and does not seem to be something that will ever work, because it was not planned to. While the Safe City project hasn’t achieved the objective of making the Kaduna metropolis safer, it has, however, contributed to the worsening debt profile of the state. It is a reminder of the Abuja security project that has remained a white elephant with billions down the drain.
Yusuf Ishaku Goje, who describes himself as a budget analyst, an active citizen, civil society actor, and OGP enthusiast in an article, “Governor Uba Sani: The Burden of Debt, Time To Justify The Campaign Rhetoric” stopped short of accusing Governor Sani of covering up El-Rufai, which nonetheless is the summation of his write up which has gone viral.
Said Goje, “Now that he is the Governor, it is imperative that he informs us of the true status of the State’s debt. The Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA) and Debt Management Strategy (DMS) Report published in November 2023, by the State Ministry of Finance, showed that Kaduna State’s debt stock figure had risen to N302.1 billion as of the end of 2022, which implies a 103.57% increase from N148.3 billion in 2018. The breakdown showed the debt stock was made up of external debt of N218.8 billion, which was 72.43%; while the domestic debt was N83.2 billion representing 27.57%.”
The Debt Management Office (DMO) sub-national external debt stock shows that Kaduna is still second to Lagos. As of June 2023, the state has a total multilateral/bilateral debt of $569.3 million and a domestic debt of N86.5 billion. At the rate of N1,578 (as of 1st March 2024) to a dollar, it will amount to about N898.4 billion.
Going by the crippling debt that has made governing near impossible and the litany of unfinished urban renewal projects and the persistent rumors of a rift between both men, it is surprising why Governor Sani is still protecting El-Rufai. Has Governor Sani’s blunt refusal to speak on the state of the Kaduna that he met, anything to do with his boast to be held vicariously responsible if Nasir El-Rufai didn’t properly utilize the World Bank facility that he took? He had said: “I insist that I, Senator Uba Sani, be held liable if the governor fails or disappoints. But of course, I know Mallam Nasir El Rufai will never fail the people of Kaduna State”. Is this Governor Sani’s albatross? It is said that he was instrumental in the approval of the $350 million World Bank loan by the National Assembly which Senators Shehu Sani, Danjuma Laah, and Suleiman Hunkuyi vehemently opposed.
Like they say, the chicken has come home to roost! When Senator Sani made the statement, he did not know that he would succeed El-Rufai, and considering the poor financial situation of the state, will Governor Sani, who is increasingly being pushed by the numerous enemies of El-Rufai to “quietly” recover misappropriated funds, accede to the campaign having has so far shown an unwillingness to institute a full-scale judicial inquiry of the El-Rufai administration. The added reason, in my view, why Governor Sani should move against the El-Rufai camp, is because, from the body language of the former governor’s men, the incumbent is failing the state not minding the way his predecessor mortgaged the finances of the state.
Governor Sani’s major crime, for which he was summarily charged and convicted by El-Rufai’s men, is his warm relationship with Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser (NSA). Ribadu, a former ally and partner of El-Rufai in the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, is now seen to be at daggers drawn with the ex-governor. For the El-Rufai men, Governor Sani must also be enemy with Ribadu irrespective of the fact that the two incumbents need to work together to achieve success in the security of Kaduna state. The El-Rufai gang believes that Governor Sani must also be enemies with Ribadu because Ribadu and their master had fallen out.
Beyond working to instigate an open fight with Gov. Sani, El-Rufai’s men are also more than convinced that Ribadu and Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to the President, co-authored the security report that the Senate used to stop El-Rufai’s ministerial confirmation. They also blame Governor Sani for allegedly being part of the plot. But how can Governor Sani not realise that hobnobbing with avowed enemies of El-Rufai is ‘treason’? To make matters worse Governor Sani is also being fingered as being behind the rejection of Jafaru Sani, El-Rufai’s anointed replacement on the ministerial list.
However, now that Bashir El-Rufai, the younger of the El-Rufai’s sons has entered the fray, the inevitable fight between El-Rufai and Governor Sani seems a matter of time. Bashir El-Rufai, who is popular for his insults on whoever disagrees with his father, recently accused Governor Sani of claiming credit for the completion of a school project that was “90%” completed by his father. What seems a ray of hope is that Bello El-Rufai, who before he was elected a Member of the House of Representatives was the Chief of Staff to Senator Sani, is working very hard to ensure that both men do not quarrel.
When El-Rufai and Governor Sani’s crisis finally blows open, they would have continued the sad tradition of successors and predecessors fighting themselves to a standstill. To ensure that the wrestling bout is a reality, we the people of Kaduna State, enjoin the Nasir El-Rufai gang to continue their attacks on Governor Sani. He shouldn’t be allowed the peace that he needs to concentrate on governance and the delivery of his numerous campaign promises for the greater good of Kaduna.
- Ushafa writes from Abuja
