We Have Made Some Difficult Choices, And Shall Make Even More In The Future – Nasir El-Rufai

Kaduna state Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, on Wednesday, July 29, said that his administration will continue to make difficult choices for the betterment of the state and its people.

The Governor stated this in a state address obtained from his social media account by Naij. The address captured what the present government met on ground while it assumed duty, the decisions taken so far and the plans for the future.

While giving account of his stewardship in the first 2 months of his administration, the Governor said his government met a lot messier situation than he thought.

He belittled the immediate past administration of the state for being financially reckless and corrupt with no clear cut programme to develop the state.

“However, we must be under no illusion that the task at hand would be an easy one. Without over-flogging the issue, it must be stated that the level of decay we inherited was far worse than we imagined.

“Kaduna state was left prostrate by the last administration. Our first shock after preliminary analysis of the finances indicated that even after combining receipts from the Federation Account and internally generated revenue, the previous government could not settle personnel and overhead costs of the State and Local Governments without monthly borrowing.

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“In simple terms, the former Kaduna state government and its local governments existed only to pay salaries, and they borrowed monies monthly to keep the governments running.”

Mallam El-Rufai also lamented the huge debts incurred by the last government in the state saying that imprudent decisions made by his predecessor has made it imperative and expedient for his government to make difficult choices for the state to return back to its glory days.

“The total indebtedness of the state as at 31st May 2015 stood at N74.297bn, comprising N28.840bn in domestic debt, and N45.44bn in foreign debt.

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“The state government alone has unsettled liabilities to contractors, consultants and suppliers of about N25bn and shortfalls in pension contributions of N8.371bn. The extent of bank debts and contractor liabilities of the 23 local governments is still being collated.”

On how he immediately responded to the problem, Mallam El-Rufai said he had to cut down the cost of governance in the state while ensuring that leakages, and waste are reduced.

“It was obvious that running Kaduna the old way is a recipe for disaster. One of the steps we took was to cut overheads spending by 60 per cent.

 “I therefore directed the state Accountant General to release only 40% of budgeted overheads as we strive to improve liquidity and prioritize spending for public goods.

 “However, our efforts in this regard are not on the expenditure side alone. As we cut costs, plug leakages and reduce waste, we need to grow our revenues and have more realistic budgeting in the state.

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“We are therefore focusing on strategies to rapidly increase our internally generated revenue.

 “We are conscious of the fact that as things stand today, Kaduna State relies on federal allocation to be able to pay salaries. The state simply does not collect enough internally-generated revenue (IGR).

 “In the last five years, IGR has been able to finance only about 15 per cent of the budget. We are committed to improving IGR, and thus reduce our dependence on federal allocations.”

The governor also gave account of successes recorded in different sectors of the state such as healthcare, employment creation, local government reforms, security and transparency among others.

He also reiterated his commitment to serving the people of Kaduna state saying he will not relent in making painful choices that will secure the future of the state.

“But all our decisions are geared towards improving our state. We will listen and make adjustments if we err, but we will never shy away from taking painful decisions today that secure the future of our children tomorrow.

“Hope was invested in us to perform. And we will not deliver despair. We shall remain worthy of that hope in your service.”

Kaduna state Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai was the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration. As a Minister, he pursued and ensured that the original master of plan of the FCT, Abuja is strictly adhered to. It is expected that as the Governor of Kaduna state he bring his years of experience in governance and management to bear as he stirs the ship of the state.

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