Jigawa State government has announced the suspension of the state coordinator for Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulation (J-CARES), Fadama Result Area, Alhaji Aminu Ringim and all 27 local government coordinators over alleged fraud and diverting millions of Naira allocated for assisting rural farmers.
The provosts, registrars and bursars of the State College of Health Technology, Jahun and State College of Nursing and Midwifery, Birnin kudu. Have also been suspended on the recommendations of White Paper Committee set up by the government.
The state commissioner for Information, Youth, Sports and Culture, Hon Sagir Musa revealed this while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the state executive council meeting.
He explained that the suspension of the J-CARES coordinators followed a recommendation of the committee set up by the state Governor Malam Umar Namadi to investigate the alleged misappropriation and diverting of millions of Naira from the project.
J-CARES FADAMA Project is a World Bank intervention programme for rural farmers to enhance their production to mitigate the adverse effects of COVID-19 pandemic.
LEADERSHIP reported in July 2023 that Governor Namadi paid unscheduled visits to various local governments to assess the implementation of the multi-million-naira intervention programme designed to empower farmers to enhance food production but to his utter dismay, he discovered huge irregularities.
Due to the gravity of the inappropriate utilisation of the allocated money for the programme, Governor Namadi vowed to investigate the matter and punish anyone found culpable.
He therefore setup committee under the chairmanship of the Chief of Staff, Dutse Government House Senator Mustapha Makama Kiyawa to investigate and submit a report to him.
The investigative committee confirmed that hundreds of millions of naira was diverted and recommended the suspension of the programme coordinators and recovery of the stolen funds.
