Kastina State governor, Alhaji Bello Masari, has said that his resolve to recover the over N16 billion allegedly siphoned through the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in the state is not targeted at probing the administration of his predecessor, Alhaji Ibrahim Shehu Shema.
The governor also alleged that funds accrued to the state through the Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SURE-P) were withdrawn in cash for unknown purposes during Shema’s administration.
Massari stated these during an interactive session with journalists in Abuja at the weekend.
He explained that the transition committee discovered the missing funds during its investigations into the finances of the immediate past administration of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
According to him, the investigations did not involve contracts executed by Shema, but funds llegally taken for unknown purposes.
“It didn’t go to any project or any coffers of the government. I need to give you an example: everybody knows what ALGON is – it is the association of local government chairmen; it is like cleaners’ association or butchers’ association, or taxi drivers’ association; it is like every other association. But when government gave orders in writing, signed by the governor, that from the joint account of the local governments, whatever comes from the projects the local governments are doing, for example, if the local governments are spending N3 billion for capital project, and they say 30 per cent of that money should go to ALGON – to do what?” he asked.
Masari noted that the funds were traced to the banks.
“We tracked down the money, no contract was given. ALGON is not an institution; it is not a government agency, neither is it a government parastatal. But from the records in the bank that we have, they have withdrawn all the money that were given to them – N9.5 million, N8.5 million, N10 million. They have withdrawn over N16 billion over the period. It is necessary to ask where this money is, but the 70 per cent which were said to be spent on capital projects were never investigated,” he said.
According to the governor, should the current administration choose to probe past administrations in the state, contractors would be invited to justify payments received as against the quality of projects executed.
“If we are investigating the government, certainly, contractors will be involved. Is there any contractor that we have invited into Katsina State to explain what he has done to a particular project? We didn’t do that.
“What we said is that this is money in cash that left government coffers and ended up with some people; the people who collected these moneys should come and tell the people of Katsina where money is,” he said.
The governor further alleged that For example, in the same ministry of Local Government Affairs, a Permanent Secretary withdrew the sum of N9 billion cash.
Speaking on the SURE-P billions, Masari said; “the SURE-P billions were withdrawn cash, what have they done with it. And throughout the life of SURE-P in Katsina state, they have never issued any cheque neither have they given any contract, all the money from SURE-P were withdrawn cash.
So it is not the issue that some people are being probed, we are asking where is the money that came into government coffers, and these are the officials that took these monies from the government coffers, the issue is, where is the money? I think it is legitimate to ask them where is the money.”
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