...State isn’t bankrupt, says treasury commissioner
From ISMA‘ILA MUHD. Dutse

AGAINST the backdrop of reports that Jigawa state is bankrupt, the state government has revealed, with a refutal that it has about N5 billion as reserve.
The state commissioner for treasury who is also the running mate of the PDP gubernatorial candidate, Alhaji Ahmad Muhmoud Gumel, disclosed this to our correspondent in a telephone interview yesterday, saying that the reports were unfounded and politically motivated.
Said he: “Jigawa state government is not bankrupt we have more than N4 billion in our stabilization account apart from assets worth billions of Naira in different banks.’’
Meanwhile, the state commissioner of finance, Alhaji Ahmad Kukuli has disclosed that the state government has a cordial relationship with commercial banks in the state, adding that the state government is owing no any commercial bank a Kobo in the state.
Reacting further on the report, Kukuli stated that the report has no iota of truth and was initiated by enemies of progress with a view to tarnishing the good image of the state government.
On non-payment of staff salary, the commissioner noted that their government was the only one that maintained payment of emoluments and pension as and when due in the whole 36 states of the federation and Abuja.
“We pay staff salaries and pension every month from 1999 to date and we are the only state that paid January salary since last week“, the commissioner added.
On the payment of contracts, Kukuli explained that they pay companies based on the job they executed and after being verified by the ministry of budget and projects monitoring.
He maintained that all on-going projects will be completed and paid before the terminal date of the present administration in the state.
Alhaji Kukuli while advising journalists to cross check their facts before going to press, explained that the amount of pressure, blackmail, intimidation and mischief will divert the attention of the state government to deviate from the responsibilities of completing all on-going developmental projects before May 29, 2007 and advised the people of the state to disregard such mischief makers.