The Senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has tackled Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over alleged sharing of N3 billion contracts to his wife, shildren, State Government officials and members of State House of Assembly.

Sahara Reporters, a New York-based online newspaper, had on Tuesday, reported possession of documents exclusively obtained, showing lack of transparency in contract awards characterised by blunt refusal to advertise bids, as required by the Procurement Act; contract splitting, cornering of contracts through fronts-by members of El-Rufai’s family, cronies and officials of his government.

Sahara Reporters also said the opaqueness, discovered, was boldly evident in the award and execution of contracts for the rehabilitation of existing drainages in Kaduna North, Kaduna South, Chikun and Zaria local government areas of the state. To go round, the contracts, evidence showed, were split into desilting and excavation in clear violation of due process regulations.

The medium also alleged that the contracts were also never advertised, as required by the Procurement Act.

“Instead, Governor El-Rufai’s government, after breaking the contract into bits, awarded them to members of his family, including his wife and children, personal staff, friends and members of the House of Assembly, who used fronts to execute them. Currently, many of the drainage contracts have been abandoned, with the Governor and the state legislature unable to move against the contractors because the jobs were awarded on sweetheart basis.”

Among the beneficiaries listed by Sahara Reporters was Air Vice-Marshal Aliyu El-Rufai, the Governor’s brother, who was awarded five contracts.

Documents obtained by Sahara Reporters listed him as the sponsor of Sumadex Nigeria Limited, Digimic Ventures, Gambari Visions Limited, Concept Construction and Engineering Limited as well as Elab Solution Provider. Also on the list is a woman captured as Aunty Asabe, who got two contracts through J-F Haam Investment Limited. A man captured as Uncle Idi also got a contract via Danshanono Investment Limited.

One of the Governor’s wives, captured as Her Excellency in the contract document, was awarded a contract through Khairun Nas Nigeria Limited. Other members of the El-Rufai family awarded contracts are Ahmed El-Rufai, who got through Bafe4 Investment Limited, and Aisha El-Rufai, who got the contract for Ghana Road through Mohsal Global Concept.

Mr. Yusuf Barnabas Bala, Mr. El-Rufai’s deputy, was awarded 13 contracts through Ojo Limmy Nigeria Limited, Maronian Nigeria Limited, Folarc Design Partners, Home Vestors Limited, Habi Moulds Limited, Golden Powers Nigeria Limited, Zamsnunom Enterprises Limited, Mustras International Limited, Nerat and Partners Limited, James Wagner and Partners Limited and De-Raheems Concept Limited.

Also featuring strongly at the contract buffet table are the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Balarabe Abbas Lawal who, alone, was awarded a contract through Bogbento International Limited. He was awarded five others in conjunction with different people through separate companies.

Equally prominent in the contract bazaar are the Chairman and Director-General of the Kaduna State Due Process Office. Between them, they got eight contracts, with three going to the former and five to the latter. The Majority Leader of the Kaduna State House of Assembly was awarded 10 contracts, including the one for Mai Anguwa Road, Kalala. The member of the House representing Tundun Wada Constituency won five. The House Speaker’s name featured in 14 contracts. One Honourable Ilya Sawa was awarded 10.

Mr. El-Rufai on Wednesday responded to Sahara Reporters. A statement from the Governor’s office said the news media exaggerated the documents and attempted to drive a malicious narrative.

“There was no contract bazaar,” the Governor said in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Samuel Aruwan, “Neither was N3 billion spent on the drainage works.”

The spokesperson said a public works official who allegedly tried to defraud the state through fictitious sewage contracts was fired by the administration in February.

The platform said its report highlighted the hypocrisy of Mr. El-Rufai, who has been known to speak effusively against corruption, nepotism and incompetence.

But Mr. Aruwan debunked the allegations in their entirety on behalf of his principal.

He said the Governor authorised the Kaduna State Public Works Agency (KAPWA) to commence rehabilitation of drainage system in the state’s key municipal areas in December 2016.

However, Senator Sani on Thursday, said the report about systemic nepotism, opacity and complete absence of transparency in the Governance of Kaduna State is “factual and the reality of the situation in the state.”

According to the Senator, in the statement signed by Suleiman Ahmed, his Adviser on Politics and Ideology on Thursday in Kaduna, the Governor has no money to pay traditional rulers he recently sacked but has money to dispense as contracts to family, friends and political cronies.

The Senator said: “El-Rufai has enough money to pay herdsmen but no money to pay district heads. Kaduna is today littered with abandoned drainages to the point that the rainy season has turned Kaduna into a ‘coastal state with creeks’.

“He is auctioning over 2,000 government houses he inherited but he is yet to build a hut.

“Under El-Rufai, Kaduna has become a hub of kidnappers and a sanctuary for herdsmen.

“Journalists in Kaduna State are under siege; blackmailed, arrested, pocketed or threatened with arrest and as such could not have written such a story. El-Rufai jails journalists like Pinochet or Stalin. El-Rufai is a man with a mouth for criticism but without a stomach for criticism. In his two years in office he has jailed not less than seven journalists in Kaduna of which many are in court.

“Kaduna State is run like a personal family and friends’ estate without any meaningful physical achievement other than sponsored media propaganda.”

Shehu Sani also said that the Governor, who in his memo accused President Muhammadu Buhari of running a failed government, has failed also woefully.

According to the Senator, “He (El-Rufai) thinks PMB failed but he never invited PMB to even commission a completed toilet in his state.

“The very Governor who once condemned the National Assembly for lack of transparency has proven to be worse.

“El-Rufai wants to be seen as an apostle of Buhari’s Change but he is actually the Judas of change.

“I call on El-Rufai to suspend his Presidential or Vice Presidential ambitions and concentrate in proper governance of the state.

“It is hypocritical to promise Nigerians change and end up only ‘putting change in our pockets’.

“There’s nothing progressive about many people who claim to be Buharists; they are reactionaries and career opportunists who can fit into any Government in power.”

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