Bauchi committee’s report meant to divert attention from Bala’s contract scandal, group alleges

Report of the Bauchi State assets recovery committee set up by the State Governor, Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir, who alleged that ex Governors Mohammed Abubakar and Isa Yuguda had allegedly looted the sum of N1 trillion belonging to the state during their reigns, has been faulted and described as a diversionary measure by the government.

A political pressure group known as ‘M. A Solidarity Forever’ in a press release issued to Journalists on Sunday by its Secretary-General, Malam Nasiru Cigari, claimed that the allegation was baseless adding that their principal received the sum of only N300 billion from both federal allocations and internally generated revenue during his four years tenure which was expended in the execution of projects, payment of salaries, pensions and other recurrent expenditures.

Nasiru Chigari stated that ” On the first purported allegation: The request of the committee to the former Governors to refund N1 trillion, we declare it as balderdash and senseless allegation, for the facts that the total income accrued to the State during M-A’s Administration (four years in office) was slightly above N300 billion”.

He further stated that ” The Cartons of surgical hand gloves, sewing and pasta making machines found in the Former Governor’s house (Fadaman Mada Estate, Bauchi) which was claimed by the committee to be Government property, we say, is baseless and hilarious as those items belongs to the Wife of the former Governor”.

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” It is a known fact that she manages a Non-Governmental Organisation (BSWEEP). The said items are remnants of what she distributed to the Women of Bauchi state, the time before now. Moreover, the said Items were donated to her organization by various individuals and different organizations within and outside the country”. He said.

Leader of the political group loyal to the former Governor of the state also faulted the report and claimed that the Tractors and a Bus said to have been carted away by the former governor were legally purchased by him threatening that the ex-governor and his wife would not hesitate to take legal action against the committee in their quest to reclaim what is rightfully theirs taken by the committee.

This is just as he opined that the government of Bala Mohammed is only diverting people’s attention from the recent report of N3.6 billion cars contract scandal reported by the Premium Times and the uproar on the government’s failure to pay WASSCE fees for students.

The group, therefore, called on people of the state particularly those loyal to the former Governor to disregard the report and continue to propagate the good things done for the state during the four years of the last administration.