Alhaji Kabiru Jarimi, former Secretary of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Kaduna State chapter, has refuted claims by ex-Governor Nasir El-Rufai that his administration never interfered with local government funds.

Jarimi, who also served as Chairman of Kaduna South Local Government, described El-Rufai’s statement as misleading, alleging that local councils’ funds were routinely deducted under various pretexts.

“I was shocked by El-Rufai’s comment because local government funds were deducted without our approval. Most of the deductions targeted Southern Kaduna LGAs.”

He revealed that councils never received full allocations, citing the creation of the Kaduna Capital Territory Authority, Zaria Metropolitan Authority, and Kafanchan Municipal Authority as avenues for diverting funds.

“Salaries were shared 60-40 between the capital territories and LGs around them. In Kaduna South, deductions were made in the name of sanitation, forcing us to remit funds to the Kaduna Capital Territory Authority (KCTA) every month.”

Jarimi further alleged that security and riot damage fund deductions were imposed, yet no LGA benefited from them.

“We contributed to a security fund, yet no former LGA chairman can account for how it was used. The same applies to the riot damage fund; no LGA benefited from it. I challenge the former Governor to explain where the money went.”

He commended Governor Uba Sani for reversing El-Rufai’s policies, particularly the abolition of the Capital, Metropolitan, and Municipal Authorities, and for ensuring that local governments now receive a share of the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for greater financial autonomy.