Amidst mounting scrutiny, Yusuf Zailani, a former Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, refutes assertions that the Ninth Assembly, under his leadership, sanctioned the $350 million World Bank loan secured by former Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
The Kaduna State House of Assembly initiated a comprehensive investigation, appointing a fact-finding committee tasked with scrutinizing all financial transactions, loans, contract projects, and other expenditures during El-Rufai’s tenure from 2015 to 2023.
Speaker Yusuf Liman officially inaugurated the 13-member committee during Tuesday’s plenary session, responding to a motion presented by Mugu Yusuf, representing the Kauru Constituency, urging a thorough examination of all loans acquired by the previous administration.
Governor Uba Sani, in a recent town hall meeting, lamented the substantial debt burden inherited from his predecessor, El-Rufai, upon assuming office on May 29, 2023.
He revealed staggering figures, indicating the state’s financial strain with a legacy of $587 million, N85 billion in loans, and 115 unresolved contractual obligations.
However, in a rebuttal captured in a video shared online by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Strategic Communications to the Speaker, Mal. Suraj Bamalli, Zailani adamantly denied any involvement in approving the contentious loan during his tenure.
Addressing the assembly, The Punch quoted Zailani as saying, “I have been waiting for this day, and the day is today. My fight was not to give approvals of loans. Some of my colleagues were around, and 6 still members of this hallowed chamber, including Isaac Auta Zankhai, the former deputy speaker. They said I should approve the loans. I said no, we need to know how many loans we have.”
In addition to scrutinizing financial records, the State Assembly mandated the committee to summon key figures, including former speakers of the 8th and 9th Assemblies, finance commissioners, former Managing Directors of Kaduna Markets, and Budget and Planning Commissioners, among others.
