The Kaduna State Governor, Dr. Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, has deflected the charge of lack of accountability hung on his neck by the newly elected Minority Leader of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Muhammad Ali.

Yero in a statement issued yesterday in Kaduna by his spokesman Ahmed Maiyaki expressed “much concern” over the allegation made by Hon. Ali in a press statement entitled ‘Leadership Change and Citizens of Kaduna State’.

“While we hold the Honourable Minority Leader in high esteem, it is imperative to also provide appropriate information to the people on salient issues raised in his statement. It is verifiable and on record that the administration of His Excellency, Dr. Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, has adopted absolute transparency in the disbursement of SURE-P funds to the 23 Local Government Councils in the State,” Maiyaki said in his reply entitled ‘Yero Administration Remains Accountable to People of Kaduna State’.

Continuing, he said: “The claim by Hon. Ibrahim Ali that the State Government withholds SURE-P funds due for the 23 LGAs is totally untrue as Governor Yero has ensured that all funds due to the Councils have been released. This is evident in the fact that some of the LGAs (with exclusion of the APC) led Kaduna North Local Government Area have implemented people oriented projects in their areas.

“As part of such projects, the LGAs have distributed poverty alleviation items to their people. This was supervised by the State Government in a bid to ensure that the target beneficiaries are reached in all nooks and crannies of the State. If this is not human capital development and poverty reduction effort, then Hon. Ali will need to provide a new definition.

“It is also on record that the State Government share of the SURE-P fund has been utilized accountably. The fund was utilized in financing wealth creation policies of the administration such as, training of 7,600 youths and women in various skills and providing them with start up capital and items, provision of tricycles to former commercial motorcyclists, overseas scholarships for post graduate students etc. The Minority Leader cannot dispute this fact.

“As an experienced lawmaker, Hon. Ali is aware that the SURE-P fund is spent in a preceding financial year. The 2.160 billion he claimed to have accrued to Kaduna State between January and August 2014 is to be expended in the 2015 financial year.

“On the issue of the proposed expansion of Ali Akilu Road from Kawo to Lugard Hall round about, it is surprising that as a ‘progressive’ Hon. Ali will fault such move. To disabuse the minds of our people from retrogressive antics of the Minority Leader, efforts at expanding the major road is due to heavy traffic congestion being experienced in parts of the road which is not only inimical to free traffic flow but also security of people.

“We want to assure, the Honourable Minority Leader that award of contract for the expansion will follow due process and would be transparent in line with extant laws. We wonder why the lawmaker is already crying foul over a project that has not been awarded.

“Finally, we wish to urge Honourable Ali to desist from playing to the gallery and face his new task of leading a vibrant opposition in the House of Assembly. Opposition politics is nothing if it derails from constructive criticism by engaging in frivolous and unfounded accusation against Government.”

•Photo shows Governor Yero.

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