El Rufai: Projects We Executed with Loans Are Very Visible, Kaduna IGR Has Fallen by More Than 60%

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has accused the current administration under Governor Uba Sani of reversing the significant gains made in the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR). In a recent interview with Freedom Radio Kaduna, El-Rufai claimed that before he left office in May 2023, the state was generating between N6 billion and N7 billion monthly in IGR. However, under Sani’s leadership, the IGR has plummeted to a mere N2 billion.

El-Rufai, who recently switched political allegiance from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), attributed this sharp decline to what he described as massive corruption and incompetence within the current administration. He criticized Sani for blaming the state’s debt for its fiscal challenges, arguing that the current administration lacks the necessary skills to manage the state effectively.

“The complaints about being unable to pay salaries due to debt are clear signs of incompetence,” El-Rufai said. He emphasized that his administration had already begun repaying the state’s debts by the time he left office and had implemented policies that saw IGR rise significantly, almost fivefold.

El-Rufai further explained that, despite the monthly deductions of about N4 billion from the state’s allocation to service debts incurred during his tenure, the IGR was more than sufficient to cover these repayments. He noted that the revenue generated in the final month of his administration—N6 billion to N7 billion—was nearly double the amount being deducted to service the loans.

The former governor also pointed to the visible results of the loans his administration secured, saying, “The projects we executed with those loans are very visible, even for the blind to see.” He criticized Sani’s administration for failing to build on the foundation laid by his government, particularly in terms of attracting investors and generating revenue.

“The person in charge of revenue collection during my administration was unjustly sacked and replaced with someone who is not equipped for the job,” El-Rufai lamented, adding that this change had contributed significantly to the decline in IGR.

He called on the current government to focus on improving revenue generation rather than using debt as an excuse for non-performance. “They should look inward and focus on generating more revenue,” El-Rufai advised, underscoring that the policies his administration put in place were key to the state’s economic progress.