Kaduna State Governor-elect and former Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has said that those who looted both the state and national treasuries will not go unpunished by the incoming administration of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to him, public office holders who have soiled their hands with public funds should be ready to make refund as soon as the APC-led government takes over power on May 29, 2015.
El-Rufai spoke yesterday when the executive members of the National Union of Textile Garments and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) paid him a courtesy visit, explaining that the recovery of such ill-gotten funds has become necessary because the incoming government will inherit a bad debt situation.
He insisted that the APC government would ask politicians who stole government money to return such funds, adding that, “We will politely ask those who stole government money to return the funds.”
“This is because people who are in government now are there to work for themselves but the APC government is made up of people who are ready to work for the masses and betterment of the country. We will work with the textile union to ensure that lives of the average Nigerians get better,” he added.
Besides, the former Minister of the FCT decried what he described as “shameful” state of the textile industry in the country, while pledging that his government will reverse the pitiable condition of textiles factories in Kaduna State.
According to him, the textile industries in Kaduna used to employ a total of about 33,000 workers, just as he lamented that the current figure of 1,600 employees was unacceptable.
El-Rufai stressed that the APC government would revive the textile industries in Kaduna, as the move will generate more employment and also impact on the lives of the people.
Said he: “We have met at a forum of northern governors-elect and we decided to ensure the revival of the textile industries. It is a shame that the largest economy in Africa imports textile materials from Senegal and other countries.”
Meanwhile, earlier in his remarks, the President of the Textiles Workers Union, Oladele Hunsu, congratulated El-Rufai over his victory at the polls, while describing as indelible, his achievements as the FCT minister.
Hunsu urged the governor-elect to take steps towards reviving the textile industry, saying that illegal importation of textile materials had tended to cripple activities of the local textile industries.
