El Rufai makes security votes, salary public; asks NASS to do same

Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has fulfilled his pledge to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, who challenged him to disclose how his security votes and local council funds in the state are being spent.

The governor yesterday made public details of his salary and the expenditures of his government since assumption of office.

He said the disclosure of how funds are being disbursed by public office holders would promote accountability and good governance.

El-Rufai and Dogara at the weekend traded words over the anti-corruption crusade and lack of accountability in governance. They challenged each other to publish their expenditures.

A statement by the spokesman to the governor, Samuel Aruwan, said: “Our attention has been drawn to a challenge by Yakubu Dogara, Speaker of the House of Representatives, calling on Kaduna State to make public its security votes and local council expenditure.

“This challenge was a response to Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s request to the National Assembly to provide details on the opaque N115 billion 2016 budget of the Assembly.

The Kaduna State government will remain transparent and open in all its finances. Malam Nasir El-Rufai is today making public his pay-slip as governor.

In February 2017, he was paid a net salary of N470,521.74, with the following details: Basic Salary –N185,308.75; Hardship Allowance – N370,617.50; Gross Pay – N555,926.25. The deductions are PAYE – N85,404.51; Total Deduction – N85,401.51; Net Pay – N470,521.74”

Aruwan added that: “Governor El-Rufai would like to reiterate his call for the NASS leadership to do the same and disclose the details of its budget and the salaries and allowances of its leadership.

“Regards Kaduna State security votes, if the Speaker had done an online search he would have discovered the details of our spending on security.”

Details of the spending on security were: N1.5 billion for the procurement and installation of CCTV cameras; N193 million for geo-position interceptor and location of GSM UMTS system to track kidnappers’ phone calls.