Bauchi state funds and asset recovery committee constituted by Governor Bala Mohammed on Friday July 12, 2019 and mandated to investigate and recover looted assets belonging to the state government within three months has failed to submit its report five months after, WikkiTimes authoritatively reports.
The Governor who said setting up the committee was necessary alleged that the previous administration could not account for the stupendous money it received from the federation account gave the Isa Hamma Misau led committee only three months to submit its report.
Governor Bala Mohammed who lamented that the total revenue collected by the immediate past administration in the state stood at over N400 billion said the state government owes it retirees over N27 billion naira in gratuities.
The Governor also decried the current debt on the state which he puts at N150 billion naira.
He said the probe was necessary to ensure public officials remain accountable to the people.
Governor Bala who said the committee was constituted to recover looted government properties and funds, charged members of the committee to justify the confidence reposed on them by being just and sincere in the discharge of their responsibilities.
The committee had in October held a press conference at VIP 9 in the state capital where it indicted former Governor Abubakar for auctioning to himself, seven luxury and utility vehicles belonging to Bauchi State Government, which it said was in violation of provisions of Bauchi State Budget Monitoring , Price Intelligence and Public Procurement Law.
According to the chairman of the Committee, Senator Hamma Misau, the vehicles include; Land Cruiser Armoured Jeep, auctioned at the cost of N7,800,000.00, Land Cruiser V8, sold at the cost N2,800,000.00, Two Toyota Hilux Vehicles , sold at the cost of N1,050,000.00 each and Range Rover (Jeep),and three Range Rover (Jeep) vehicles that were auctioned each at the cost of N2,114,700.00., N2,947,875.00 and N2,114,700.00 respectively.
Senator Misau had further said that 30 exotic vehicles allocated to his political appointees and public office holders that have left office were found to have not been returned, pointing out that, “the Committee has already recovered 15 of such vehicles and, is on the trail of the remaining 15 with a view to recovering and returning them to government pool.
The committee had also alleged that former Governor Abubakar had initiated a transaction and sold to himself a house with Certificate of Occupancy No. BA/40245 located adjacent Wikki Hotel, belonging to Bauchi State Government, at a highly subsidized rate which it described as a gross violation of the Bauchi State Budget Monitoring, Price Intelligence and Public Procurement Law.
The Committee had also claimed to have uncovered multi-billion naira fraudulent and questionable contracts, some of them fully paid for, but were either abandoned or completely not executed amongst others.
WikkiTimes recalls that Governor Abubakar had since refuted the claims, describing them as “baseless” and saying he will challenge them in court.
The committee however could not also stands to its terms of reference in meeting the deadline upon which it was asked to submit its report.
When contacted, a member of the committee, Umar Barau Ningi assured that the committee is working within the time frame allocated to it.
“My brother, I can assure you that the committee was given additional extension of time on the expiration of the three months.
“So, the committee is working within its time”, he said.
Asked what the committee has uncovered so far, Ningi said he was only a member of the committee and was not authorised to talk about its activities, but assured that the committee was doing its work.
On whether the committee has recovered the exotic cars they alleged that former Governor Abubakar sold to himself, he said, “well, these are some of the things I may not owe it to them for now because like I said, I have not been authorized to speak with you on that very sensitive issues that is been handle by the committee, but I believe the committee is probably, either next week or so is intending to hold another press conference and they may give you the opportunity to ask these questions if they are not answered by the press conference.”
Meanwhile, the People’s Redemption Party, (PRP ) in its comment on the delay by the State Asset and Funds Recovery Committee to make public its findings, said that in the first place, “the committee was set up to divert attention and achieve cheap political goals through painting the previous administrations black.”
The Bauchi State Assistant Secretary of the party, Comrade Muhammed Ishaq alleged that “the present administration in the state thought that by painting the previous administrations black, his administration might look white and saintly, which self-delusional.”
Ishaq alleged that the motive behind setting up the committee was to reward and compensate some political cronies who contributed in bringing the governor to power.
He said that the Chairman of the committee, as a former senator, has some grievous cases with the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), concluded that “looking at the composition of the committee you will know that the committee cannot achieve anything but to waste time and resources”.
“In summary, the committee was nothing but a conduit pipe for siphoning and squandering public funds. “It was set up to divert attention and feed some political elements who worked for the victory of the governor,” Ishaq alleged.
