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 theprevious administration could not account for the stupendous money it received fromthe federation account gave the Isa Hamma Misau led committee only threemonths to submit its report.Governor Bala Mohammed wholamented that the total revenue collected by the immediate past administrationin the state stood at over N400 billion said the state government owes itretirees over N27 billion naira in gratuities.
The Governor also decriedthe current debt on the state which he puts at N150 billion naira.
He said the probe wasnecessary to ensure public officials remain accountable to the people.
Governor Bala who said thecommittee was constituted to recover looted government properties and funds,charged members of the committee to justify the confidence reposed on them bybeing 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 ofthe Committee, Senator Hamma Misau, the vehicles include; Land Cruiser ArmouredJeep, auctioned at the cost of N7,800,000.00, Land Cruiser V8, sold atthe cost N2,800,000.00, Two Toyota Hilux Vehicles , sold at the cost ofN1,050,000.00 each and Range Rover (Jeep),and three Range Rover (Jeep) vehiclesthat were auctioned each at the cost of N2,114,700.00.,N2,947,875.00 and N2,114,700.00 respectively.
Senator Misau had furthersaid that 30 exotic vehicles allocated to his political appointees and publicoffice holders that have left office were found to have not been returned,pointing out that, “the Committee has already recovered 15 of such vehiclesand, is on the trail of the remaining 15 with a view to recovering andreturning them to government pool.
The committee had alsoalleged that former Governor Abubakar had initiated a transaction and soldto himself a house with Certificate of Occupancy No. BA/40245 located adjacentWikki Hotel, belonging to Bauchi State Government, at a highly subsidized ratewhich 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 couldnot also stands to its terms of reference in meeting the deadline upon which itwas asked to submit its report.
When contacted, a member ofthe committee, Umar Barau Ningi assured that the committee is working withinthe 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 isworking within its time”, he said.
Asked what the committee hasuncovered so far, Ningi said he was only a member of the committee and was not authorisedto talk about its activities, but assured that the committee was doing its work.
On whether the committee hasrecovered the exotic cars they alleged that former Governor Abubakar sold tohimself, he said, “well, these are some of the things I may not owe it tothem for now because like I said, I have not been authorized to speak with youon that very sensitive issues that is been handle by the committee, but Ibelieve the committee is probably, either next week or so is intending to holdanother press conference and they may give you the opportunity to ask thesequestions if they are not answered by the press conference.”
Meanwhile, the People’sRedemption Party, (PRP ) in its comment on the delay by the State Asset andFunds Recovery Committee to make public its findings, said that in the firstplace, “the committee was set up to divert attention and achieve cheappolitical goals through painting the previous administrations black.”
The Bauchi State AssistantSecretary of the party, Comrade Muhammed Ishaq alleged that “the presentadministration in the state thought that by painting the previousadministrations black, his administration might look white and saintly, which self-delusional.”
Ishaq alleged that themotive behind setting up the committee was to reward and compensate somepolitical cronies who contributed in bringing the governor to power.
He said that the Chairman ofthe committee, as a former senator, has some grievous cases with theIndependent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), concluded that “lookingat the composition of the committee you will know that the committee cannotachieve anything but to waste time and resources”.
“In summary, thecommittee was nothing but a conduit pipe for siphoning and squandering publicfunds. “It was set up to divert attention and feed some political elements whoworked for the victory of the governor,” Ishaq alleged.
