An eyewitness in the ongoing trial of the immediate past governor of Kwara State, Mallam Abdulfatah Ahmed, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has detailed how the former governor allegedly misappropriated the state?s Universal Basic Education Commission?s (UBEC) N5 billion.

This was disclosed on Wednesday at the trial of Ahmed and his Finance Commissioner, Ademola Banu, over the alleged theft and mismanagement of public funds amounting to N5.78 billion.

Standing before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin, the former governor and his finance commissioner were accused of conspiring to steal funds earmarked for the payment of teaching staff salaries of the state?s Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), as well as funds allocated for security and infrastructural projects.

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

At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, the EFCC presented its first Principal Witness (PW1), Abubakar Hassan, an assistant director of finance at the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC). Led in evidence by EFCC counsel Rotimi Jacobs, Hassan testified that the Kwara State Government, under Governor Abdulfatah, misappropriated approximately N5 billion intended for executing projects in primary and junior secondary schools between 2013 and 2015.

Hassan said, ?The Matching Grant Funds from UBEC are meant to provide certain infrastructural facilities for students in primary and junior secondary schools. These facilities include the construction of schools, provision of laboratories, construction of toilets, water and sanitation, and cultural education.?

Explaining the procedures for obtaining grants from the Commission, the witness stated, ?UBEC law provides that the Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board, its Executive Secretary, and the Director of Finance are signatories to Matching Grant Accounts. The account is opened with any commercial bank or the Central Bank of Nigeria.?

Hassan further testified that the SUBEB prepared and submitted an action plan for 2013, which was defended and approved for the execution of certain contracts in compliance with the plan.

?The Commission made lodgments for 2013, 2014, and 2015, leading to the state receiving Matching Grants of about N2 billion for 2013, N876 million for 2014, and N982 million for 2015, totalling about N5 billion,? he explained.

He added, ?Implementation of the 2013 Action Plan had commenced, and contractors were mobilized to sites. However, during our project monitoring exercise, we discovered that funds for the 2013 projects had been diverted by SUBEB. About N2 billion was diverted.?

Following the discovery, Hassan said a project monitoring committee report was sent to Kwara SUBEB to comply with its recommendations, but there was no response. Consequently, the Commission wrote to banks to return the funds allocated for 2014 and 2015.

He noted that no activities were undertaken in 2016, 2017, and 2018 because the state failed to comply with earlier recommendations regarding the diverted funds.

Hassan emphasized that the responsibility for spending UBEC grants rested solely on SUBEB and that the State Governor or any external party had no direct or indirect involvement in managing the funds.

Further hearing in the case has been adjourned until February 17, 2025. (The Guardian)

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