Where’s The Money? ALGON Scribe Demands Accountability From El-Rufai Over Security Fund

Jarimi dismissed El-Rufai’s recent claims that he never interfered with local government finances, labeling the statement as false. In a recent interview, El-Rufai alleged that his successor, Uba Sani, was diverting local government funds to purchase properties in Seychelles, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. El-Rufai claimed that local governments in Kaduna were only receiving N50 million or less per month, with funds being siphoned and exchanged into foreign currencies for property purchases.

However, Jarimi, who served under El-Rufai’s administration, strongly rebutted the allegations, stating that local governments were routinely deprived of their full allocations during El-Rufai’s time in office. He emphasized that funds were frequently deducted from the councils’ allocations under various pretexts, particularly targeting Southern Kaduna local governments.

“I was shocked by El-Rufai’s comments,” Jarimi said, adding, “Local government funds were deducted without our approval, and many of these deductions specifically affected the Southern Kaduna LGAs.”

Jarimi further explained that these deductions were often justified as necessary for paying workers’ salaries, but he argued that other methods were used to withhold additional funds. He cited the establishment of the Kaduna Capital Territory Authority, Zaria Metropolitan Authority, and Kafanchan Municipal Authority as mechanisms through which local governments were shortchanged.

“Salaries were split 60-40 between the capital territories and the local governments,” Jarimi explained. “In Kaduna South, funds were deducted for sanitation purposes, with payments directed to the Kaduna Capital Territory Authority every month.”

He also questioned the fate of the security and riot damage funds, asking El-Rufai to explain where the deducted money went. “We contributed to a security fund, yet no former LGA chairman can account for how it was used. The same applies to the riot damage fund; no LGA benefited from it. I challenge the former governor to clarify where the money went,” Jarimi stated.

Jarimi commended Governor Uba Sani for reversing many of El-Rufai’s policies, particularly the abolition of the Kaduna Capital Territory Authority, Zaria Metropolitan Authority, and Kafanchan Municipal Authority, as well as addressing the issues surrounding the security and riot damage funds.