Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has said that he inherited a huge debt burden of $587m, N85bn and 115 contractual liabilities from the immediate past administration of Nasir El-Rufai, lamenting that the huge debt has eaten deep into the state’s federal allocation.
The governor, who disclosed at a town hall meeting on Saturday, to give account of his stewardship, said he remained resolute in steering Kaduna to the path of progress using the available lean resources.
In attendance at the meeting were traditional rulers and religious leaders, politicians, members of the Organised Labour, civil society organisations, youths and women groups. Also present include a former governor of Kaduna State, Ramalan Yero; a former Chief of Defence Staff, General Martin-Luther Agwai; members of the Kaduna State Executive Council, as well as members of the House of Assembly led by the Speaker, Yusuf Liman.
Governor Sani, accompanied by his deputy, Hadiza Balarabe, acquainted the audience with the state’s revenue profile and the debt left behind by his predecessor.
The governor also touched on the key priority areas of his government, including security, housing, education, healthcare and support for micro, small and medium enterprises.
The Commissioner of Finance, Shizzer Bada, made a presentation on what the state gets from the federal allocation and what is being deducted from it to service the huge debt left by the past administration.
While his Budget and Planning counterpart, Muktar Ahmed, touched on the number of contractual liabilities whereby contractors engaged by the former government abandoned projects after collecting money.
Notwithstanding the huge debt burden he inherited, coupled with the number of contractual liabilities, Governor Sani assured the people that he would keep his eyes on the ball in steering the state towards the part of progress and sustainable development.