His Excellency, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna state has said that his immediate-past predecessor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai left a huge burden of debt for the state pay.
Uba Sani who was elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) stated this today during a town hall meeting in Kaduna. He hinted that El-Rufai’s administration left behind the sum of $587m, N85bn in debt, noting nonetheless that his government remained resolute in ensuring sustainable development in the state.
Gov. Uba said “Despite the huge debt burden of 587 million Dollars, 85 billion Naira, 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”.
Governor Uba further revealed as follows:
- N7bn out of the N10bn federal allocation for Kaduna state in March was deducted to service the state’s debt.
- In March, Kaduna State was left with N3bn, an amount he said was not enough to pay salaries, as the state’s monthly salary bill stands at N5.2 billion.
- Governor Sani said despite the debt inherited, his administration had not borrowed “a single kobo” in the last nine months of his government.
The governor added that Kaduna State is paying triple the previous debt left by the immediate-past administration due to the rise in exchange rate.