Benue State House of Assembly has decried the alleged financial impropriety at the third tier of government in the state within the last year, amounting to N3.7 billion following its investigative visits to the 23 LGAs of the state.
Consequently, the assembly has asked the former Special Adviser to the governor on the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, BLG&CA, Dennis Akura, as well as the Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board, Grace Adagba, to account for the stated amount.
This was contained in the report of the adhoc committee constituted by the house to investigate the activities of the caretaker committees of the 23 LGAs from June, 2023 to June, 2024.
According to the report presented by Majority Leader of the Assembly, Saater Tiseer to the committee of whole on Thursday, the house
directed the Special Adviser on BLG&CA to refund the sum of N1.7 billion, the total deductions siphoned from security votes of the local government councils between October 2023 – and June 2024.
He is also directed to report to the House within one month and show evidence of payment.
In the same vein, the House ordered the Chairman of SUBEB, Grace Adagba to account for the N2.7 billion been balance of the funds she received from the Local government Bureau between December, 2023 and June, 2024.
The adhoc committee in its presentation by the chairman, Tiseer said that during their findings, it was discovered that the Bureau received on behalf of the councils the sum of N66.8 billion from September, 2023 to May 2024.
He explained that SUBEB received a total of N12,043,781,463.56 from the 23 LGAs in the State as salaries for Primary School Teachers between December, 2023 to June, 2024.
“The Board spent N9,970,002,245.49 as monthly salary of Primary school teachers for the period under review leaving a balance of N2,073,779,218.07 which has not been accounted for’.
The adhoc committee further said in its report that the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs received on behalf of the 23 LGs a total sum of N66,807,625,790.47 from September, 2023 to May, 2024.
“Out of this amount, N12,043,781,463.56 was released to the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB); N3,989,222,890.97 to the Primary Health Care Board, N107,185,151.95 was released to the Local Government Service Commission (LGSC) as 1% training fund while N3,951,999,998.70 went to the State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA)
The committee noted with dismay some anomalies in the third tier of government which among others were; “Local government officials were compelled to sign blank cheques with which officials of the Bureau withdrew huge sums of money from LG accounts.
“The Bureau mandated security secretaries to pay N9 million
from the supposed N10 million as security funds back to the Bureau through a designated account which amounted to 1 billion Naira from October, 2023 to June, 2024.
“Most councils failed to submit salary pay vouchers requested by the Committee. Few Pay Vouchers submitted were doctored with evidence of multiple payments.
“Most councils visited were low in revenue profile and the little amount generated were not banked as required by extant laws.
“Caretaker chairmen then were clearly not in charge as they were mere servants to Directors General Services and Administration, DGSAs and treasurers who were instructed by the Bureau not to give them any information.
“They ran the councils the way they wanted and the chairmen stand as spectators. So, when the chairmen want something, they kneel down and bow and on a good day, they are given something.
The adhoc committee recommendations include; “That in line with finding 2, the Chairman, Benue State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) should account for N2,073,779,218.07 being balance of the funds received from the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs between December, 2023 and June, 2024;
“That in line with finding 4, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Local Government and _ Chieftaincy Affairs should refund the sum _ of N1,782,000,000.00 being total sum of the N9,000,000.00 siphoned from security votes of the 22 Local Government Councils from October, 2023 to June, 2024 for 9 months and report back to the House within one month with evidence of payment;
“That in line with finding 4, Local Government Councils should be warned against refusal to disclose official information as doing so wil! attract Sanctions henceforth”.
When contacted to get his response, the former Special Adviser on BLG&CA, Dennis Akura accused the committee of not giving him fair hearing and submitted that under his watch, every money that came to the bureau was channelled to the LGAs.
Meanwhile, chairman of SUBEB could not be reached as several calls made to her cellphone were declined, also she did not respond to messages sent to her WhatsApp number and phone.
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