The Kaduna State House of Assembly has conducted the screening of 12 out of the 14 commissioner nominees sent to it by Governor Uba Sani.
Two of the nominees, Patience Fakai and Auwal Musa Shugaba, were unable to avail themselves for the screening process.
During Tuesday’s plenary, Speaker Yusuf Liman Dahiru announced the 14 nominees to be screened. However, due to the absence of the two nominees, the screening was carried out for the remaining 12.
The screening commenced after setting aside Order 7, Rule 10 and dissolving the house into the Committee of the Whole initiated by the Majority Leader, Ahmad Muhammad, who represents Zaria Kewaye.
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The screening started with Aminu Abdullahi Shagali, a former speaker of the house.
The other nominees screened are Umma Kaltume Ahmed, Mukhtar Ahmed, Arch. Dr. Ibrahim Hamza, Sule Shua’ibu, Shizzer Nasara Joy Bada, Professor Muhammad Sani Bello, Salisu Rabi, Professor Benjamin Kumari Gugong, Abubakar Bubba, Sadiq Mamman Lagos, and Murtala Muhammad Dabo.
Suspends 3 LG chairmen over mismanagement
Meanwhile, the House of Assembly suspended three local government chairmen over alleged financial mismanagement.
The suspension was announced on Tuesday as a result of the chairmen’s alleged allocation of contracts without adhering to due process as mandated by the Kaduna State Public Procurement Law of 2016, Section 35 Subsection 23.
The ad hoc committee on investigation, chaired by Munirat Sulaiman Tanimu, representing Lere East, scrutinised the financial activities of five LGAs: Chikun, Kaura, Kagarko, Soba and Birnin Gwari, as mandated by the assembly following a resolution on July 18, 2023.
Munirat explained that the committee invited the affected chairmen to provide financial documents, including bank statements, from June, 2022 to June, 2023, Departmental Vault Account (DVA), approved budgets for 2022 and 2023, capital and recurrent expenditures for the respective years, lists of awarded contracts and their levels of completion, among other requirements.
Upon studying the documents, the committee found that the chairmen of Kaura, Kagarko and Chikun contravened Section 48 of the Local Government Administration Law of 2018 and Section 35 Subsection 25 of the Kaduna State Public Procurement Law of 2016.
She noted that the sections outlined the necessary compliance with budget allocations and the state’s public procurement regulations.
As a result, the committee recommended that the three chairmen vacate their offices for the next six months for further investigation and directed not to be present at the local government secretariats during the period and must hand over their responsibilities to their respective vice chairmen.
The assembly also acknowledged that the chairmen of Birnin Gwari and Soba LGAs were not found in violation of any law, but were reprimanded for their failure to procure the 2023 approved budget from the Ministry of Local Government on time.
Contributing to the report, Speaker Dahiru emphasised that all political officeholders should refrain from embezzling public funds, warning that anyone found guilty would face strict legal consequences without any preferential treatment.
