Asset recovery: Bauchi govt, ex-gov Mohammed Abubakar at daggers drawn

Bauchi State Government Asset Recovery Panel has alleged that the immediate former Governor of the state, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar used his office as Governor to mismanage and misappropriate public funds and assets just as the former Governor declared that the panel has misfired in its allegations against him threatening to head to the court for redress.

While addressing a press conference, Public Relations officer of the committee, Umar Barau Ningi alleged that part of the items discovered to have been misappropriated by the former Governor included fraudulent and fictitious contracts, mismanagement of public funds, selfish interest and violations of his oath office.

The panel further alleged that “the former Governor, Abubakar sold to himself, seven posh vehicles belonging to the State Government in violation of provisions of ​ Bauchi State Budget Monitoring, Price Intelligence and Public procurement Law (BMPIPP 2008), for the disposal of government assets and/or properties. The vehicles are as follows; Land Cruiser Armoured Jeep, with Chassis No. JTMHX09J9F4089580 auctioned at the cost of N7,800,000.00. Land Cruiser V8, with Chassis No. JTMHX09J8D4050814 sold at the cost N2,800,000.00.Toyota Hilux, with Chassis No. MROFX22G2F1436641 sold at the cost of N1,050,000.00, Toyota Hilux, with Chassis No. MROFX22G701415100 sold at the cost of N1,050,000.00. Range Rover (Jeep), with Chassis No. SALWA2VF3EA366819 sold at the cost of N2,947,875.00. Range Rover (Jeep), with Chassis No. SALLSAAD4DA800170 sold at the cost of N2,114,700.00.
Range Rover (Jeep), with Chassis No. SALLSAAD4DA81373 sold at the cost of N2,114,700.00″.

“Similarly, thirty exotic vehicles allocated to his political appointees and public office holders that have left office were found to have not been returned. The Committee has already recovered fifteen of such vehicles and, is on the trail of the remaining fifteen with a view to recovering and returning them to government pool. In the same vein, the Committee has taken steps to recover the vehicles that the former Governor arbitrarily sold to himself “, the Panel further alleged.​

Barau Ningi added that in violation of his Oath of Office, the former Governor Abubakar initiated a transaction and sold to himself a house with Certificate of Occupancy No. BA/40245 located adjacent to Wikki Hotel, belonging to Bauchi State Government, at a highly subsidised rate. This also, in gross violation of the (BMPIPP 2008) procurement law, for the disposal of government assets and/or properties. Section 55, Subsection 4 & 5 states inter alia; “All procuring entities shall distribute responsibilities for the disposal of public property between procurement units and Tenders Board;” and, “A report of the findings… shall be forwarded to the Executive Council for appropriate directive.”

“Similarly, PART XI – Section 56, Subsection 6 (f) stipulates, “Avoiding all situations likely to render an officer vulnerable to embarrassment or undue influence.” All these provisions were found to have been violated. Above all, the disposing entity, Bauchi Geographic Information Service (BAGIS) is not backed by any law, as the Bill that established the Agency in 2017 is yet to be signed into law. It follows, therefore, that, whatever business the Agency transacted, and with whomsoever – individuals or organisations, is illegal, null and void, and of no effect whatsoever. The Committee considers as morally reprehensible for a sitting governor to apply for the purchase of government property and approved same for himself, placing his individual interest above public interest”, it added.

The panel spokesperson also alleged that, the Committee was able to trace about fifteen properties in Kaduna state with their certificates of occupancy and ground rents paid up to 2017 while on education he said that, between October 2016 and May 2018 alone, N1.4 billion was outrightly stolen,​ while unremitted taxes amounting to over N705 million was carted away by some greedy officers at the State Treasury.

“The Committee uncovered multi-million Naira fraudulent and questionable contracts, some of them fully paid for according to docents showing capital releases, but we’re either abandoned or completely not executed”, it further alleged.

He said that some of the contracts include, Paris Club recovery awarded to a consultant, Mauritz Walton, saying that “what makes this contract suspicious was the claim by the consultant to have received N5 billion being part payment from Bauchi State waiting for a balance of N3 billion.”

“According to payment voucher from the state Treasury and a Bank Statement of accounts of Bauchi showed a figure much less than he claimed to have received. And the consultant has no idea on how much he has been paid. It was on record that Nigeria Governors’ Forum had hired a consultant on behalf of all the states of the federation on the same issue”, he stressed.

Speaking on the controversial 500 unit of tractors, he alleged that only 40 units of tractors valued at N554,829, 280 were supplied by the contractor and the contract was awarded at the sum of N4.7 billion and paid the contractor N2.065, 958, 359 billion leaving a balance of N1.5 billion.

On the scandalous mahogany and shroud supplied to cemeteries, Barau Ningi said that the initial contracts was awarded at the cost of N1, 568,033,810 billion for mahogany (2″”x12″”x12 and N820.423,360 for purchase of 66,000 bundles shroud.

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He added that “The above outrageous contract implied that at the worst-case scenario, at least 573,000 people must have died within this period for the mahogany to be exhausted. While a total number of 198,000 people must have died within the period for bundles of the shroud to be exhausted”.

When contacted the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Former Governor, Ali Mohammed Ali said that the Bauchi State Government’s Assets and Funds Recovery Committee misfired in its report.

He stated that “Our attention has been drawn to the rehash of the several ‘sins’ of former Governor of Bauchi state, MA Abubakar while in office and presented as ‘fresh’ evidence of his corruption and abuse of office.”

“The latest salvo is by the so-called Bauchi state Assets and Funds Recovery Committee which addressed a press conference and misfired, as usual, and as typical of a government adrift clutching at straws and playing ostrich. Confronted by the daunting task of running a state with lean resources and clearly unprepared to make sacrifices, the government through the committee is busy distorting records and misrepresenting facts, both of which, have become its hallmarks”, he added.

Ali Ali further stated that “We have addressed virtually all the charges levelled against the government of MA Abubakar in the past ranging from debt profile of the state to funds expended on mahogany etc, we will not, therefore, dissipate energy on those.”

“However, one of the salvos that misfired was that the governor sold to himself vehicles belonging to the state government in addition to purchasing a house also belonging to the government. These are gross distortions. The law provides that users of government vehicles that have been in use for upwards to three years are at liberty to purchase them. The vehicles in question have been in use for more than four years. The law provides that they can be sold at 10% of the book value. It is, therefore, perplexing that the committee is alleging foul play here” he explained.

The Media aide further explained that “As a matter of fact the Hilux vehicles that constituted the former governor’s convoy had engine change due to wear and tear associated with convoy duties.
The House MA Abubakar purchased was one of a three-property situated on one Plọt wholly owned by the former governor long before he became chief executive of the state. As a law-abiding citizen, the property in question was duly valued and a competitive price of N23 million paid by Abubakar from a personal account. This is verifiable. No under the table deal was struck”.

“Curiously, the assets recovery committee peopled by known political foes of Abubakar, in the haste to achieve its pre-determined objective of injuring the reputation and profile of the former governor, didn’t deem it fit to give a “fair hearing. The result of this desperate haste is the distortion and misrepresentation of records and facts. These will not go legally unchallenged”, he threatened.

“Under Abubakar’s watch, several reforms were initiated. Urban renewal was given traction for instance. The low-cost road, for instance, was given at a cost lower than what successors of Abubakar are giving. The road in question maybe 4.5 kilometres long but in actual fact, it’s 9 kilometres because it was expanded and was being dualised. We live in a country with laws. The former governor will seek redress in the law for these half-truths and lies”, he concluded.