The Fourth Prosecution Witness, PW4, Lanre
Daibu, in the trial of former governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah
Ahmed and his Finance Commissioner, Ademola Banu on Thursday, April 10,
2025 told Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court,
Ilorin that Banu directed the release of the sum of N1billion from
the 2013 Matching Grant fund of the Universal Basic Education Commission,
UBEC, for the purpose of payment of salaries of teachers and pensioners
in the state in January 2015 and did not repay it until the Board was
dissolved.
Ahmed and Banu are facing prosecution by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on amended 14-count
charge, bordering on stealing and mismanagement of UBEC funds in
the state to the tune of N5.78billion.
Daibu, former Chairman, Kwara State Universal
Basic Education Board, SUBEB while being led in evidence by
prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN said, “My lord, the second
defendant, Banu, called me on phone that the state government needed
money to pay salaries of its workforce and pensioners. The Board sat on the
issue and concluded that such requests must be in writing and not telephone
conversation. I, therefore, 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.”
Testifying further, he said, “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 further disclosed that a letter,
marked “Exhibit 4,” which emanated from Kwara
State Ministry of Finance indicated that the then state
governor gave approval for the loan to be granted.
The witness informed the court that he could not
finish his tenure as Chairman of SUBEB in the state following the
dissolution of the Board before the expiration of his tenure.
In his
testimony, the Fifth Prosecution Witness, PW5, Benjamin
Sehinde Fatigun, a retired permanent secretary in the
state’s Ministry of Finance, also confirmed that former governor
Ahmed authorized the 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 N1billion to augment
the payment for civil servants and retirees. 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,” he said.
Both witnesses were cross-examined by Kamaldeen
Ajibade, SAN and Gboyega Oyewole, SAN, counsel to the first and second
defendants.
Under cross-examination, Fatigun told the court that
the state government through the Ministry of Finance could not
pay salaries and had to inform the state governor of the
predicament in writing and a decision was reached to borrow from
SUBEB.
“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 N1billion was released.
The case was adjourned till Friday, April 11, 2025 for
further hearing.
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