Kaduna
State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, has said that he is hale and hearty, describing
his purported collapse and near-death rumour as the handiwork of mischievous
elements.
El-Rufai
said his rumoured collapse was a mere hoax designed by mischief makers for
purposes best known to them.
The
governor stated this while receiving the members of the Nigeria Labour Congress
and the Trade Union Congress at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House on Thursday.
El-Rufai
told the workers that he is as fit as a fiddle and ever determined to make
Kaduna great again. He also assured the workers that under him the state’s
treasury was safe.
He
promised the workers that their salaries would be paid before the Sallah
festival, adding that the state will not wait for federal allocation from Abuja
to pay salaries.
The
governor said, “You can say el-Rufai has collapsed and died, but here I am. I
am alive. My deputy is here; he’s is alive and can continue the good work we
are here to do for the good people of Kaduna State.
“Only
last weekend, my deputy announced that some money (N24bn) has been recovered
from various accounts in the state because of the single account we now
operate. Some people became jittery. Now they are peddling rumour that I
collapsed and was taken out of the country.
“Let
me say it here that here I am and your money – Kaduna’s money, is alive and
intact. Kaduna State now has money to pay its workers and all civil servants
will get their pay before Sallah. We will not wait for federal allocation
before we pay workers.”
He
added that he cannot be deterred by the antics of mischief makers who were
uncomfortable with steps taken by his administration so far, especially those
occupying the premises of government schools illegally.
Meanwhile,
the workers in a rally held at the state capital in support of the
anti-corruption war of President Muhammadu Buhari presented a letter to
el-Rufai to deliver to the President.
The
workers marched from the NLC secretariat along Independence Way to the Sir
Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna, to deliver a letter.
The
workers bore placards with inscriptions such as, “We Support the man who is
trusted and tested and we declare our support because we know you are up to the
task,” “Workers rights are human rights,” “Buhari, you have our support against
corruption,” and “El-Rufai go on and reclaim public schools.”
They
called for the establishment of special courts and the appointment of anti-corruption
judges to specifically tackle corruption cases in the country.
The
Kaduna State NLC Chairman, Adamu Ango, who spoke at the event, said the
President and the governor were trusted and tested hands.
Ango
stressed the need for the government to reduce the cost of governance.
He
also called on the National Assembly and the executive arm of government to
work together towards taking Nigeria out of the wood.
Source:punchng
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