Godfather, godson friction that has characterised politics of the fourth dispensation, is set to kick off in Kaduna, as the governor, Uba Sani, has pointedly accused his predecessor and benefactor, Nasir El-Rufai, of being responsible for the state’s inability to meet its salary payment to its workers
By Emma Ogbuehi
The godfather, godson friction that has characterised politics of the fourth dispensation, is set to kick off in Kaduna, as the governor, Uba Sani, has pointedly accused his predecessor and benefactor, Nasir El-Rufai, of being responsible for the state’s inability to meet its salary payment to its workers.
Sani identified the huge debts, he said he inherited from the government of his predecessor, Nasir El-Rufai, as posing challenge to the government in meeting its obligations to the staff.
According to Vanguard, Sani stated this while addressing a town hall meeting in Kaduna on Saturday.
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The governor said his administration inherited a huge debt burden of $587 million, N85 billion and 115 contractual liabilities from his predecessor.
He said N7 billion out of the N10 billion federal allocation for Kaduna in March was deducted to service the state’s debt.
Sani said the N3 billion, which the state was left with, was not enough to pay salaries as the state’s monthly salary bill stood at N5.2 billion.
According to him, owing to the rise in exchange rate, the state is now paying back almost triple of what was borrowed by the previous administration.
He, however, noted that despite the debt inherited, his administration had not borrowed a single kobo in the last 9 months.
Sani said, “Despite the huge debt burden of $587 million, N85 billion and 115 contractual liabilities sadly inherited from the previous administration, we remain resolute in steering Kaduna State towards progress and sustainable development.
“We have conducted a thorough assessment of our situation and are sharpening our focus accordingly.
“It gladdens my heart to inform you that despite the huge inherited debt on the state, till date, we have not borrowed a single kobo,” he said.
Sani listed the key priority areas of his government to include safety and security, housing, education and health care, as well as support for micro, small and medium enterprises.
The governor said his government would also prioritise inclusive development by investing in human capital, stimulating the economy and providing affordable housing.
Sani’s allegations are however not being left unattended to by the former governor’ camp. Bashir El-Rufai, son of the erstwhile governor has tackled Governor Sani on the remarks, accusing the governor of seeking excuses to mask his incompetence.
Bashir threw the broadsides in a post via his X handle on Saturday. He said, “These guys have realised that they are wholly incompetent and the only way to mask the nonsense is to deflect. From a Governor that is always sleeping in Abuja to a litany of incompetent aides that were only rewarded for foolish political reasons.
“One would think that from all the FAAC allocations these unserious clowns have changed to dollars, debt would be the least of their problems,” he said.
Sani is seen as among the heaviest beneficiaries of El-Rufai’s lopsided administration while in office. Apart from prodding him for the Senate, he basically picked him as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the March 2023 governorship in the state. Sani’s controversial declaration as the winner of the poll is also believed to have the imprints of El-Rufai.
By the time they eventually fell out, they would have joined the league of godfathers and godsons that eventually fell apart. Others include Nyesom Wike and Siminalayi Fubara in Rivers State, Jim Nwobodo and Chimaraoke Nnamani in Enugu; Chimaraoke and Sullivan Chime; Bola Tinubu and Gov Ambode in Lagos, George Akume and Samuel Ortom in Benue, among others.
