Witness Testifies Against Ex-Kwara Governor, Finance Commissioner in N5bn Mismanagement Trial

Date: 2024-12-05

A witness, Abubakar Hassan, Assistant Director of Finance at the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), testified on Wednesday that the former Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, and his Finance Commissioner, Engr. Ademola Banu, allegedly mismanaged over N5 billion, as reported by Daily Trust.

The trial is ongoing before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin.

According to Hassan's testimony, the former governor and his finance commissioner were accused of conspiring to mismanage funds meant for the payment of teachers' salaries, security, and other infrastructural facilities under the Kwara State UBEC.

The alleged mismanagement of funds is said to have occurred during the tenure of the former governor, and the trial is aimed at determining the extent of the alleged mismanagement and holding those responsible accountable.

They were subsequently arraigned on October 21, 2024 by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

However, the duo pleaded not guilty and were admitted to bail before the case was adjourned for trial.

At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, Hassan, the commission's first witness, while being led in evidence by counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), told the court how about N5bn meant to execute projects at primary and junior secondary schools between 2013 and 2015, when Ahmed held sway as governor was allegedly mismanaged.

According to him, “the matching grant funds from the Universal Basic Education Commission is meant to provide certain infrastructural facilities for both students of primary and junior secondary schools. Such facilities include the construction of primary schools, provision of laboratories for students, construction of toilets, provision of water and sanitation and cultural education.”

Hassan stated that the “Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) prepared and submitted an action plan for 2013. It was defended, and approval was given to execute certain contracts in compliance with the action plan.

“The commission made lodgment for 2013, 2014 and 2015. Kwara State got matching grant of about N2bn for 2013, N876m was released for 2014 while they got N982m in 2015, totaling about N5bn.

“Implementation of 2013 Action Plan had already commenced, contractors were already mobilized to work at the site but surprisingly, during our project monitoring exercise we discovered that the monies meant for the project (2013) had been diverted by the Kwara SUBEB. We discovered that about N2bn was diverted”.

He said following the development, the report of the project monitoring committee was sent to the Kwara SUBEB, asking them to comply with recommendations of the committee, but there was no response.

“Hence, the Commission wrote to the banks to return 2014 and 2015 funds paid to the state, he added.

He said there were no activities for 2016, 2017, and 2018 due to the failure of the state to comply with UBEC's earlier recommendations about the diverted funds.

Hassan further stated that the responsibility of spending UBEC grants rested solely on SUBEB while the State Governor or anyone outside SUBEB has no dealing, directly or indirectly, in spending the fund.

Justice Abdulgafar adjourned further hearing in the case till February 17, 2025.

 

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

AbdulRahman Saad     United Nigeria Congress Party     Esinniobiwa Quareeb     Kemi Adeosun     Usman Alkali Baba     Maigida Soludero Transit     Suleiman Mora Omar     Olayinka Are     Usman Rifun     Buari Edun     FERMA     Afolabi-Oshatimehin Adenike Harriet     Mohammed Abduraheem     Standard Organization Of Nigeria     Christopher Odetunde     CACOVID Palliatives     Special Agro-industrial Processing Zone     Magaji Are     Tanke Road     Markaz Arabic And Islamic Training Institute, Agege     Code Of Conduct Tribunal     Ilorin Descendants Progressive Union     Sheriff Shagaya     Tosho Yaqub     Lanre Issa-Onilu     Musa Aibinu     Isapa     SSUCOEN     Abubakar Atiku     Opaleke Bukola Iyabo     Taofik Abdulkareem Babaita     Olayinka Jelili Yusuf     Abdulrosheed Okiki     Ayodele Shittu     Abdulrauf Aliyu     Niyi Ogundiran     Ike Ekweremadu     Bello Taoheed Abubakar     Demola Banu     Mary Kemi Adeosun     Abubakar B.M     Kunle Akogun     Senate Presidency     Tafida     Suleman Abubakar     Victor Gbenga Yusuf     Egbewole     Ayedun     LAK Jimoh     Emir Of Shonga     Matthew Okedare     March 28     Shero     Abdullahi G. Mohammad     Elerin Of Erin-Ile     S.O. Opowoye     Abdulwaheed Musa     Unicontinental Construction Company     Yusuf Lanre Badmus     Owo Arugbo     Ibrahim Agboola Gambari     Mazars Consulting     Marufat Oladosu     Abdul-Rasheed Na\'Allah     Centre For Community Empowerment And Poverty Eradication     Ajeigbe     Ridhwanullah Al-Ilory     Yusuf Abdulwahab     Modupe Oluwole     Elese Of Igbaja     Suleiman Alege Kuranga     Umar Danladi Shero     Offa Metropolitan Club     Peculiar Allowance     Bamikole Omishore     College Of Arabic And Islamic Legal Studies     Abdulmalik Bashir Mopelola Risikatullahi    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Saka Onimago     Nurudeen Muhammed     Balogun-Ojomu     Abubakar Lah     Ahmad Belgore     Park     Olaiya Zuberu     Kwara State Printing And Publishing Corporation     Shaaba Lafiagi     Olushola Saraki     Kola Adesina     Ajike People Support Centre     JAMB     Air Peace     Yakubu Mohammed Abdullahi     Bello Oyedepo     John Dara     Bayo Onimago     Funke Adedoyin     Bola Ahmed Tinubu     Abdulhakeem Amao     Yaman     Atunwa     Razaq Atunwa     Tunde Saad     Saad Omo Iya     Emmanuel Olatunji Adesoye     Muhammed Mahe Abdulkadir     Garba Ayodele Wahab     Timothy Akangbe     Jide Oyinloye     Sabi     Bashiru Makama     BIR     Gbenga Adebayo     Ishola Moses Abiodun     Tosin Saraki     Ubandoma     Henry Makinwa     Al-Ilory     Hamidat Sulyman-Yusuf     Ado Ibrahim     Muhammad Yahya     Apaola     Jimoh Akani     Olatunji Ibrahim     Abdul Jimoh Mohammed     Nigeria Association Of Women Journalists     Wahab Isa     KwaraLearn     Lanre Issa Onilu     Awoye     NTA Ilorin     Oro Grammar School Old Students Association     Transition Implementation Committee     Hameed Oladipupo Ali     David Oyepinola Adedumoye     Oloriegbe     Tosho Yaqub     Raji AbdulRasaq     Garba Ado Sanni     Oniyangi Kunle Sulaiman     Sunday Popo-Ola     Taofik Abdulkareem Babaita     Kwara State Coalition Of Business And Professional Associations     Onilorin     Akanbi-Oke     C2c@kwarastate.gov.ng     TIIDELab     Ojuekun Sarumi     Gbugbu International Market     Sabitiyu Grillo     Lanre Issa-Onilu     Abegunde Goke     Oko-Olowo     Kwara Primary Health Care Development Agency     Raliat AbdulRazaq