POLITICS TODAY

By Moses Magaji Zonkwa

It is unfortunate, but not surprising, that former Kaduna State governor, Nasir Elrufai, a gullible media and elements loyal to him continue to peddle brazen falsehoods to distort the financial reality of Kaduna State. The latest misinformation, falsely claiming that the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) has dropped to N2 billion monthly under Governor Uba Sani, is not just misleading but a desperate attempt to rewrite history and evade accountability for the financial mess left behind.

The Hard Facts: Kaduna’s IGR Has Grown, Not Declined

Let’s set the record straight with recent verifiable figures from the Executive Chairman of the Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service (KADIRS), Mr. Jerry Adams:

• 2022: Kaduna generated N59 billion, averaging N4.9 billion per month.
• 2023: The state hit a record N62 billion, surpassing the N60 billion mark for the first time.
• 2024: IGR rose further to N71 billion—clear proof of sustained growth.
• 2025 (So far): January saw N7.4 billion, and February recorded N6.6 billion—completely contradicting the fabricated claim of a “N2 billion” monthly collection.

These figures, which are publicly verifiable, expose the outright falsehood in some online news platforms. Clearly, the misinformation is not based on financial realities but on a decidedly partisan agenda to mislead the public.

So, what exactly is Elrufai being so evasive about?

1. Massive Debt: Kaduna is struggling with staggering financial obligations accumulated under his watch.But the current administration has given the challenge her best shot, with multi-dimensional welfare policy.
2. Unpaid Workers: Sacked civil servants and local government employees remain in limbo due to unpaid entitlements. But recently the Uba Sani government has brought this challenge down, for instance with the payment of N800million backlog of salaries for Water Board workers.
3. Uncompleted Contracts: Contractors who handled state projects are still chasing payments for jobs done years ago. But the current Kaduna government has gone far in its renewed effort to tackle the abandoned projects by ensuring completion, even as new ones reach advanced stage.
4. Financial Recklessness: Lavish loans were taken, yet many promised infrastructural projects remain unfinished. This is one heavy burden that the present administration has been bearing with uncommon courage, determination and innovativeness.

Instead of addressing these pressing issues, the man and his loyalists are fabricating numbers to deceive the public.

A Case of Sour Grapes

It is laughable that those who plunged Kaduna into financial distress are now trying to pose as economic experts. Jerry Adams, a seasoned financial expert with decades of experience in revenue generation, rightly questioned where these false claims originated. The truth is, Kaduna’s IGR is on a steady rise under Governor Uba Sani, and no amount of media manipulation can erase that fact.

The people of Kaduna are not fooled. The days of financial mismanagement disguised as “progress” are over. It’s time to move forward with real accountability and sustainable economic policies.