– Governor El-Rufai believes that politicians must now have other sources of fund
– Reveals how civil servants take the bulk of revenue in Kaduna
Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state is not one to toy with. He has just told politicians who look up to government funding to look elsewhere because government is not Father Christmas.
According to National Mirror, the governor specifically maintained that government is not a bazaar.
Governor Nasir el-Rufai tells politicians to look away from government purse.
In Nigeria, it is noteworthy that a lot of politicians rely on the government for monthly allowances. For this reason, it is common to see citizens who claim to be career politicians.
Analysts have also shown that dependence on allowance from the government is one way corruption thrives in the country.
El-Rufai, who has vowed to curb corruption in his state, asked political leaders not to see the government as their last resort henceforth as his government does not have the money to squander on them.
The governor, who said this while speaking during the inauguration of the boards of five parastatals in the state, also asked the new entrants to ensure they align themselves with the goals of his administration.
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The agencies include the Kaduna state Investment Promotion Agency (KADIPA), the Kaduna Facility Management Agency (KADFAMA), the Kaduna Geographic Information Service (KADGIS), the Kaduna state Internal Revenue Service (KADIRS) and the Kaduna State Bureau of Pensions.
El-Rufai told the guests that his government was still battling with raising revenue just like other states of the federation adding that his administration paid N2.7bilion in wages and pension in May 2015.
“That is why we commenced the verification of the public service payroll from June 2015. If we had not done verification, we would have had to borrow N300 million just to pay salaries.
“If government is designed to provide a legitimate machinery to organise society and provide public goods, then its resources cannot be legitimately spent only on servicing itself.
“Anyone who thinks government is a bazaar, or a funder of last resort for their greed should know that we oppose such practices, and we certainly don’t have the money to fritter on the vanities of the elite.
“We promised to make this state attractive to private investors who can create multiples of the few direct jobs that government can offer.
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“Less than 100,000 persons are employed in the public service of Kaduna State, out of a population that is between eight and 10million.
“In March 2016, Kaduna State got N2.4billion from the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC). That same month, our wage bill was N2.2 billion. That leaves only N200 million.
“When you add overheads to this, you get a full picture of the dire financial straits that low revenues and public service expenses have placed on the state.
“How much can the government deliver for the larger population, the majority of the residents of the state, with a wallet of N200 million? Will anything remain when wages, pensions and overheads are paid? And it could have been worse,” he said.
He expressed optimism that the supply of petroleum products will improve, Premium Times reports.
This was contained in a statement released by the Kaduna state government house.
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