By Olakunle Oyedunmola |
The trial of former Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and his Finance Commissioner, Ademola Banu, over allegations of misappropriating N5.78 billion commenced on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. The case is being heard before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar at the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alleged that Ahmed and Banu conspired to divert funds intended for teacher salaries under the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC), as well as money meant for security and infrastructure projects.
The duo was arraigned by the EFCC’s Ilorin Zonal Directorate on October 21, 2024, where they pleaded not guilty and were granted bail pending trial.
At the resumed hearing, the EFCC called its first witness, Abubakar Hassan, an Assistant Director of Finance at UBEC. Led in evidence by EFCC counsel Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), Hassan detailed how Kwara State allegedly diverted about N5 billion meant for educational projects between 2013 and 2015, during Ahmed’s tenure as governor.
“The Matching Grant Funds from UBEC are meant to provide critical infrastructure for primary and junior secondary schools, including classroom construction, laboratories, toilets, water supply, and cultural education facilities,” Hassan explained.
He noted that UBEC’s mandate, established in 2004, is to ensure access to basic education for every Nigerian child, covering primary to junior secondary school.
Hassan described the procedure for accessing UBEC funds: states must submit and defend action plans, secure approval, and ensure accountability by having the Chairman, Executive Secretary, and Finance Director of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) as signatories to the Matching Grants Account.
In 2013, Kwara SUBEB prepared and defended its action plan, receiving approval for projects. According to Hassan, UBEC disbursed N2 billion for 2013, N876 million for 2014, and N982 million for 2015, totaling about N5 billion.
However, Hassan testified that during project monitoring, UBEC discovered that N2 billion meant for the 2013 projects had been diverted.
“Implementation had started, and contractors were mobilized, but we found that funds for 2013 projects were missing. Despite our reports and recommendations to SUBEB, there was no response,” Hassan said.
UBEC subsequently directed commercial banks to refund the 2014 and 2015 grants due to the state’s failure to address the misappropriation.
As a result of the diversion, there was no funding or project activity in Kwara State for 2016, 2017, and 2018. Hassan added that UBEC suspended further disbursements to the state due to its failure to comply with the recommendations.
The EFCC emphasized that the funds were meant to uplift education standards in the state, particularly for children in underserved communities, but were instead mismanaged.
Justice Abdulgafar adjourned the case until February 17, 2025, for the continuation of the trial.
The allegations against Ahmed and Banu highlight ongoing concerns about corruption in the management of public funds in Nigeria, particularly in critical sectors like education. Observers are closely following the trial as a test of accountability and transparency in governance.
