Witness from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) testified in the Kwara high court that Abdulfatah Ahmed, the former governor of the state, failed to repay a N1 billion loan obtained from the state’s Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).
Gatekeepers News reports that Lanre Daibu, who previously served as the chairman of Kwara SUBEB, provided this testimony on Thursday before Judge Mahmud Abdulgafar, marking him as the fourth witness for the prosecution.
Ahmed, along with Ademola Banu, the former commissioner for finance, is currently on trial facing 14 charges related to the alleged misappropriation and mismanagement of public funds totaling N5.78 billion. Both individuals have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
During the court session, led by EFCC lawyer Rotimi Jacobs, Daibu explained that Banu authorized the disbursement of N1 billion from the 2013 matching grant of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) specifically for the payment of salaries for teachers and allowances for pensioners in January 2015.
The witness confirmed that the state government did not repay the loan before the dissolution of the board, which occurred prior to the completion of its term.
“My lord, the second defendant, Banu, called me on the phone saying that the state government needed money to pay salaries of its workforce and pensioners,” he told the court.
“The board sat on the issue and concluded that such requests must be in writing and not telephone conversation. I called the honourable commissioner to put it into writing.
“The reason we insisted that such a request should be in writing was to ensure that we get commitment from the state government as to when they are going to pay back the loan.
“In the letter signed on behalf of the second defendant, they promised to pay back in a month or two. However, they did not repay the loan till the board was dissolved.
“I was reluctant to grant the request because I was fully aware that the state government has no right to borrow or spend UBEC Matching Grant, meant to be used for the purposes stated in the Action Plan.”
He tendered a letter from the Kwara ministry of finance, which indicated that the state governor approved the loan request.
Also presenting his testimony, Benjamin Sehinde Fatigun, a retired permanent secretary in the state ministry of finance, confirmed that the governor approved the N1 billion loan request.
“There was an approval from the then governor of Kwara state, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed that the State Universal Basic Education Board should lend the Kwara state government the sum of N1 billion to augment the payment for civil servants and retirees,” Fatigun said.
“I got the approval from the honourable commissioner for finance, that is the second defendant and the fund was transferred to the state’s salary account.”
“My lord, a letter emanated from the ministry of finance to the office of the executive governor of the state that we have challenges in paying salaries and SUBEB was suggested as a way out and I explained in the statements I made with the EFCC how the sum of N1 billion was released.”
The case was adjourned to April 11 for further hearing.
