Kaduna govt accuses PDP of spending N2.1bn to buy sweets, juice in one year; N500m to buy newspapers

The Malam Nasir el-Rufai-led administration in Kaduna State
has accused the administration of former Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero of spending N2.1 billion on sweets, juice and food annually.
Yero became governor of the North-West state on December 15, 2012 after the death of Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa.
el-Rufai, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate became governor on May 29, 2015 after defeating Yero, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate on April 11, 2015.
el-Rufai, who spoke through his Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Alhaji Mohammad Abdulahi, on Saturday, alleged that the previous PDP-led administration wasted the money on sweets, juice and food, annually.
Abdullahi spoke in Kaduna at a round table discussion on the state 2017 budget proposal, organised by the state chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ).
The commissioner also revealed that N500 million was spent, annually, on purchase of newspapers by the PDP administration.
He, however, stated that the APC-led administration had since decided to cut down on such expenses by channelling the funds to infrastructural development.
He noted that the adoption of the treasury single account and the zero base budget had assisted the state government in generating N38 billion to an open balance of 2016 budget.
“We are borrowing the larger percentage to fund the 2017 budget but it is to be channelled to infrastructural development.“
Abdulahi called on the media to help in educating the members of public on the break down of the 2017 Budget so as to ensure its successful implementation.
Earlier, Zhiroh Jatau, Acting chairman of the NUJ in the state, said the discussion had provided an opportunity for the media and public to be better informed on what the administration was providing for the overall development of the state.
el-Rufai had on October 12 sent a budget proposal of N215.9 billion for the 2017 financial year to the House of Assembly.