The trial of the immediate-past governor of Kwara State, Alh Abdulfatah Ahmed, and a former Finance Commissioner in his administration, Engr. Ademola Banu, over alleged stealing and mismanagement of public funds to the tune of N5.78bn, got underway on Wednesday before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court siting in Ilorin.
The erstwhile governor and his finance commissioner, among other things, were accused of conspiring to steal money meant for payment of salaries of teachers working with the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), as well as money meant to provide security and other infrastructural facilities for the people of the state, leading to their arraignment on October 21, 2024? by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
However, the duo pleaded not guilty. Consequently, they were admitted to bail, and the case was adjourned for trial.
At the resumed hearing of the case on Wednesday, the EFCC presented its first witness, Abubakar Hassan, an assistant director of finance, Universal Basic Education Commission.
While being led in evidence by counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), Hassan told the court that the Kwara State government misappropriated about N5bn meant to execute projects at primary and junior secondary schools between 2013 and 2015, when Abdulfatah Ahmed held sway as governor.
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,” he stated.
He revealed that “Implementation of 2013 Action Plan had already commenced, contractors were already been 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.”
Following the discovery, the witness said that 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 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.
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