Alleged looting of N11.9b is preposterous, unfounded – Ex-Kwara governor

Former Kwara state governor AbdulFatah Ahmed described the allegation that his administration stole a sum of N11.9 billion as “preposterous, naive unspecific, and generally unfounded.”

Forensic audit report set up by the current Governor AbdulRaman Abdulrazaq said that about N11.9 billion of public funds were carted away from the treasury of the state between 2011 and 2019 without any lawful tie to any project or programme.

The report also revealed other mind-boggling revelations of alleged malfeasance within the period.

The audit also alleged that N2 billion cash withdrawals not tied to any project or official expenditure were made within eight days in February 2019, barely one month before the general election.

In a statement media aide to former governor, Wahab Oba said that “every expenditure during the period under review was properly appropriated and followed due process. If there were infractions as alleged, there are laid down procedures for correction.

“Since we left office more than three years ago, the accounts have been properly audited by various auditing agencies and had been certified. Any query now, six months to the election, on the legality or otherwise of the expenditure, are an afterthought and politically motivated.

“Rather than search for what is not lost or embark on a political vendetta, this Government should account for more than N.3trillion accruing to it in the last three years without commensurate infrastructural development. The debt profile of this government is unprecedented in the history of Kwara State. As of today, Kwara State is paying not less than N1.3 billion monthly as interest on various largely unaccounted-for loans.

“As recently confirmed by Governor AbdulRazak in his guided chat with his media agents, N17 billion out of N27 billion bond is “sitting in a bank” while the state continues to pay interest on it. This raises a lot of questions as to the reason the bond was taken in the first place.

“The governor should tell Kwarans when last he held a state executive council meeting to approve various contracts and other expenditures.