Niger Assembly Recommends 15 LG Chairmen’s Suspension, N600m Refund

Niger State House of Assembly has recommended the suspension of 15 local government areas’ chairmen for alleged discrepancies in the handling of a contract financing loan.

The resolution was reached by the House after the Ad-hoc Committee which investigated contract financing loan of the 25 councils presented its report by the chairman, Hon. Malik Madaki Bosso, at the plenary of the House yesterday

The chairmen to be suspended are those of Mokwa, Gbako, Suleja, Gurara, Tafa, Paikoro, Bosso, Agwara, Borgu, Kontagora, Wushishi, Magama, Mariga, Mashegu and Rijau.

The report stated that within the period of the commencement of the loan, N24 million was allegedly deducted from the councils’ account at source monthly and lodged in a local government account from where it was transferred to another account without due process, all amounting to N200 million.

The committee recommended that the sum of N600 million deducted for the purpose from August 2020 to August 2021 be refunded as the affected councils defaulted in the terms of contract financing.

Bosso said the refund should be made and evidence presented to the Assembly.

At the end of the consideration of the report, the Speaker, Hon. Abdullahi Bawa Wuse, commended the committee for a job well done and then directed the clerk of the House, Alhaji Abdullahi Mohammed Kagara to communicate the resolution of the House to the executive for implementation and necessary action.