The Kaduna state #EndSARS public hearing panel of Inquiry has concluded its investigation into police brutality and other related extra-judicial killings after it entertained a total of 69 petitions from individuals and organisations. Justice David Wyom (rtd) who headed the panel made this disclosure at the end of its sitting in the state capital on Friday. He said that some of the petitions that bothered human rights violations were cases that were pathetic and avoidable. He added that some of the petitions were either withdrawn or struck out by the panel.
Wyom further stated that having concluded the public hearing, the panel will now commence compilation of reports of each of the petitions and recommendations after which it will be submitted to the state government for implementation.
In other news, the state government has disengaged 99 political appointees which constituted 30% of the total number of political office holders in the state as it commences its rightsizing policy. According to Governor Nasir El Rufai, ’So far, 99 political appointees have lost their jobs, but we have not commenced rightsizing civil servants. We want to be fair with regards to civil servants. We had earlier promised that before we reduce the size of the civil service, we will start with political appointees, and we have done that.”
The governor also faulted the claims that the salaries of political appointees accounted for the bloated personnel cost of the state government. ’In March 2021, the salaries of these political appointees amounted to N259 million, while civil servants were paid N3.13 billion aside from costs related to state contributions to pension, accrued rights, and other personnel costs. So, it is false to insinuate that political appointees are the ones that guzzle most of the state’s resources,”
“Kaduna State cannot continue to use 84 per to 96 per cent of our revenues to pay salaries of less than one per cent of the population. The rest of our people – all 99 per cent of them, need better schools, hospitals, water supply, roads, markets, and support for agriculture to make a living outside the government.”
El Rufai stated that those affected include the 23 local government councils, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), and the Primary Health Care Board. Adding that after the rightsizing of civil servants would still go on as planned because of dwindling revenues that were accruing to the state government from the federation account. He concluded by stating that the state would not reverse the N30,000 minimum wage that it has started paying.
