Hayab: El-Rufai’s Planned Probe’ll Address Accountability, Not Witch-hunting 

Emma Okonji

Former Chairman, Kaduna State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. John Joseph Hayab, has said the planned probe of the former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, by members of the State House of Assembly was in order, with no trace of witch-hunting.

Hayab, who spoke on the Morning Show of ARISE NEWS Channels, said such probe was expected and would bring about accountability of the previous government.

He said during the administration of El-Rufai, several things went wrong and many people, including members of the Assembly, could not stand up to speak the truth about the killings and kidnapping of Christians, including issues with loans, abandoned projects and non-payment of workers’ salaries because they were afraid of the former governor.

“The current governor, Uba Sani, when he assumed office as the Executive Governor of Kaduna State, noticed that the state was divided and the people were not at peace, and as a gentleman, he chose to unite everyone in the state, irrespective f their religious affiliation.

“He started with dialogue and talking with the people of the state. During the dialogue, certain realities that hitherto divided the people began to show up and he promised to address them amicably.

“During the regime of El-Rufai, projects were done half way, commissioned and abandoned, workers’ salaries were not being paid and people were divided.

“The planned probe is not an attack on the former governor of the state. It is about accountability. What I think they want him to do is to provide information on areas about governance and expenditure of public funds that seemed not clear to the present government.

“There is need for leaders to be accountable. Nobody is accusing him of stealing public funds but to give account of how the funds were spent on certain projects claimed to have been completed during his regime.

“I want to commend the current members of Kaduna State House of Assembly for their courage to set up a committee to investigate the level of financial expenditure under the watch of El-Rufai.

“What I think the Assembly members are trying to do, is to find out how state monies were spent in the last eight years of El-Rufai,” Hayab said.