Non-Approval Of $350m Loan Hindering Devt In Kaduna, el-Rufai Laments

BY AMOS TAUNA, KADUNA – Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai has reiterated that the non-approval of the $350 million World Bank loan to Kaduna state has severely affected its progress in all ramifications.

 “It is clear that our projections have been severely impacted by the unexpected imbroglio surrounding the $350m World Bank loan, which has been stalled by the irresponsible and selfish actions of a few,” he lamented.

Speaking while making the presentation of the 2019 Draft Estimates of Revenues and Expenditure to the Kaduna State House of Assembly, the governor said,  “While we soldier on, we have had to make adjustments to ensure that the setback can be best managed in the interest of our people.

“The non-receipt of the funds has slowed down, or stalled critical projects to build schools, hospitals and critical infrastructure.

“This episode illustrates clearly that some people came into politics for their egos and would not hesitate to punish ordinary people for their own selfish reasons.

“Our people have noted this blatant subversion of the public interest, and we say never again shall we allow the short-sighted and the treacherous to represent us. We press forward in the interest of our people, willing to forgive but we cannot forget.

“Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, may I use the privilege of my presence to most warmly thank the people of Kaduna State for the firm support they have given to our Education Reforms and the wider governance agenda of the APC administration.

“With the backing of the people, we defeated the gang-up between some politicians and labour unions to force us to retain unqualified teachers.

“Our people supported our work to reduce the wage burden of local government councils by reducing the number of districts, removing redundant staff and starting the recruitment of professionals to enhance the capacity of these local councils to deliver public services.

“We thank our people for the emphatic endorsement of our reforms with their votes during the local government elections.”

The governor further disclosed that in their desperation for power, some of the political elites are promising to bring back failed teachers and bloated staff.

“We trust that our people know those that stand for their interest, they know those that have demonstrated a commitment to empowering them and will deliver the right verdict for those who think politics is about creating and exploiting dependency.

“It is anchored on our commitment to promoting equal opportunity, human capital development and improving infrastructure. The sectoral allocations are such that these are the three areas that take the biggest chunk of the budget.

“Education is once again the biggest sector, for obvious reasons. We have an unshakeable commitment to advance our reforms in this sector.

“Basic education must not only be free and compulsory, it must be delivered by qualified teachers in decent learning environments. We continue to allocate resources to ensure that everyone, including the children of the poor, has access to quality education.

“Healthcare is another pillar of human capital development that continues to receive priority attention. We are supporting the refitting of the primary health centres, bringing more equipment, expanding the coverage of our immunization programme, recruiting health professionals and working to reduce infant and maternal mortality.”