MR.EL-RUFA'I AND THE REALITIES OF THE STATE FINANCES

By

John Danfulani,Ph.D

Jondanfulani@gmail.com

Some months ago, dozens of states of the federation ran into financial quandaries that liquidated their potentials to pick their state's salaries bills. Sharp  fall in revenue accruing from the federation account and financial commitments of previous administrations were responsible for their financial malnutrition. Considering the magnitude of the quagmire the FGN arranged a bailout for such states to avoid threats and embarrassment of industrial unrests.

Mr. Nasir Ahmed El-rufa'i of Kaduna State refused joining the queue to collect the needed bailout. Characteristically,he bragged that his TSA has fetched him billions. And his marathon cum multilayered staff verification exercise is saving over 500m monthly. Above all, Mr.El-rufa'i claimed he has improved the state's IGR. According to Mr. El-rufa'i and his team of perilous and apocalyptic propagandists, a confluence of these factors gave his government the wherewithal  to weather the financial storm that knocked down majority of the states in Nigeria.

While excluding himself from the list of bailout-seeking Governors, some of us knew that he was on his usual grandstanding to score cheap political goals in Nigeria's political field. At the time others were crying, Mr.El-rufa'i was in the middle of his protracted and multilayered staff verification exercise that denied thousands of workers their salaries through act of commission or omission by his commissioned "experts". Even a few that are getting their salaries, their salaries have been cutdown without justification(s).There are months that people earning 60k went home with 10k or less.


His cup of deceit got full last week when his newly employed teachers busied the streets protesting non-payment of salaries five months after their employment. That is in addition to hundreds of KASTELEA workers that are yet to receive their salaries since they were issued employment letters,some months ago.There is a limit to  propaganda and deceit. People can be deceived sometimes but can't be deceived all times.

It's clear that Governor El-rufa'i doesn't have the money to pick his salaries bills and other overhead cost. Let Mr. El-rufa'i join the queue of bailout-seeking  governors,period. He better stop this deceit that is replaying Dante's Divine Comedy here on earth. He has boxed himself into a tight corner, let him surrender for good and God. We hope he will be sincere and audacious enough to accept the fact that, all his marathon and multilayered staff verification exercise is a grand design to have some financial breathing space.

The true colors of the grand commander and flank leaders of change is beginning to appear. They are power mad vegetarians who bamboozled and bewitched Nigerians and got mandates. Some of us are crying and asking God and the gods why they denied us the capacity to see beyond words of these dissimulative elements when they were hunting for our mandates.