Witness Reveals How Kwara Used SUBEB Funds to Pay Workers' Salaries Amid Diversion Trial

Date: 2025-03-13

Dr Musa Dasuki Oladimeji, the second witness in the alleged N5.78 billion diversion case against former Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and his Finance Commissioner, Ademola Banu, has revealed that the state government utilised matching grants from the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) to fund workers' salaries between 2013 and 2016.

Testifying before a Kwara State High Court in Ilorin on Wednesday, Dr Musa Dasuki—a retired Permanent Secretary and former Head of Administration at SUBEB, appearing as a witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)—stated that the government deposited over N1 billion in 2013 , N952 million in 2014 , N869 million in 2015 , and N973 million in 2016 into a designated Skye Bank account as its matching grants contribution to SUBEB.

However, he informed the trial judge, Justice Mahmood Abdulgafar, during the resumed hearing that the state government subsequently withdrew these funds as loans to cover salary payments for public servants during the specified period.

Former Kwara State Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed and his Finance Commissioner, Ademola Banu, were present in court for the resumed hearing.

The Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the EFCC had dragged the duo to court, accusing them of misappropriating Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, matching grants amounting to N5.78 billion between 2013 and 2019.

However, both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Dr Dasuki stated that the state government paid its 50 per cent counterpart funds to SUBEB between 2013 and 2016 without default, while the Universal Basic Education Board headquarters in Abuja also fulfilled its obligation by paying its 50 per cent share of the counterpart funding as stipulated by law.

The witness, who is also a suspect in the case, told the court during cross-examination by the counsel for the former governor, Jimoh Mumuni, SAN, that ex-Governor Ahmed and Mr Banu were neither signatories to SUBEB's account nor board members.

“The loan was not granted to the then Governor Ahmed, his Finance Commissioner, or the Government House. Though, to the best of my knowledge, the loan was not repaid, it was essentially granted to pay workers' salaries.

“SUBEB has a board. I was a member as a Permanent Secretary and the accounting officer of the board. The two of them, the ex-governor and the Finance Commissioner, were not members of the board. They cannot be members by virtue of the law establishing the board.”

Earlier, when examined by EFCC counsel Rotimi Jacobs, the retired Permanent Secretary said that the short-term loans granted by SUBEB to the state government during those years hampered the execution of designated action plan projects.

The projects included the provision of infrastructure facilities for both primary and junior secondary schools in the state.

He said: “When the state government requested the N1 billion loan to pay workers' salaries, we did not initially agree. However, after receiving assurance of repayment upon receipt of statutory allocation from FAAC in Abuja, we agreed.

“The Executive Chairman of SUBEB at the time, Mr Lanre Daibu, demanded a written letter to formalise the deal, and a letter was subsequently written from the state Finance Commissioner's office to that effect. Afterwards, we transferred the funds to the state government's account. The same process applied in the succeeding years.

“In 2016, although we developed an action plan and both parties—UBEC and the state government—paid their counterpart funds/matching grants, we did not carry out any projects. To the best of my knowledge, we did not receive any communication on how the funds were utilised.”

The ex-governor's defence counsel put it to the witness that the monies were repaid, but the SUBEB accounting officer responded with a resounding no.

 

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Garment Factory     Olusin Of Ijara Isin     Alfa Yahaya Road     Henry Olaosebikan     Yusuf A. Usman     Bahago     Musa Abdullahi     Chief Of Staff     Oja-Oba     Tuesday Assayomo     Raliat Islamic Foundation     Segun Olawoyin     Belgore     Air Peace     Unilorin FM     Road Transport Employers Association Of Nigeria     Akume     April 11     Lukman Oyebanji Fagbemi     Abiodun Musa Aibinu     Kwara State Pension Board     Makama Of Kaiama     Lanre Issa-Onilu     Durosinlohun Atiku     Elections     Asa     Sabi     Muhammadu Gobir     Rice Farmers Association Of Nigeria     Dairo Kunle Paul     Ibraheem Adeola Katibi     Ohoro Of Shao     Ibrahim Issa Jetti     Split Diamond Interchange     Abdulrahman Abdulrasak     Olam Food Ingredients     Ilorin Talaka Parapo     Samuel Olusegun Adedayo     National Pilot     Abubakar Abdullahi Bata     Wole Oke     Moses Salami     United Nigeria Congress Party     Saraki     Jimoh Lambe Abdulkareem     Mustapha AbdulGaniyu     Kunle Suleiman     Sunset Workers     Abubakar Abdulraheem     Shero     Bello Oyedepo     Kwara 2019     Oke-Ogun     Kwara State Printing And Publishing Corporation     Academic Staff Union Of Universities     Ayinde Oki     Kayode Bankole     Abdulmumin Yinka Ajia     Abdulraheem Olesin     Otuka     University Road     Jebba     Suraj Tunji Oyewale     Mohammed Yahaya Barki     Gabriel Fashanu     Moremi High School     Khairat Gwadabe     Lateef Ademola Olatunji     Ilofa     KWIRS     Olaoye B. Felix     Busari Alabi Alausa     KFA     Hauwa Nuru     Ojo Fadumila     Kwara Teaching Service Commission     Bayo Lawal    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Yoruba     Lanre Aremu     Nigeria Governors\' Forum     Dan Iya     Tayo Alao     Abdullahi Samari     Admiralty Villa     Jawondo     Olufolake Abdulrazaq     Idiagbon     Gbadeyan Gbadura Yomi     Idris Garuba     Lanwa     Akom Construction And Engineering Synergy Ltd     Sola Saraki Educational Foundation     Principal Private Secretary     Adam Abdullahi Al-Ilory     Ramadhan     Ilorin Talaka Parapo (ITP)     Gobir     Aminat Ahmed     Yaru     Nagode     2017 Budget     Nigeria Computer Society     Idi-Ape     Benin Republic     A.O. Belgore     Elekoyangan     Ahmed Ayinla Jimoh     Bayo Ojo     Abdulazeez Arowona     Jaigbade Alao     Yahaya Seriki     Oyeyemi Olasumbo Florence     Ayeyemi Sulaiman     Jaiz Bank     Ibrahim Abdullahi     Dele Momodu     ER-KANG Mining     V.O. Abioye     Jimoh Saadudeen Muhammed     Belgore     Funmilayo Mohammed     Mohammed Lawal Bagega     Suraj Tunji Oyewale     Olusola Saraki     Bilikisu Gambari     Yakubu Danladi     Government High School (GHS), Adeta     Owu Fall     Agbarere     Kisira     Ndakene     Sardauna Of Ilorin     Chief Imam Of Lafiagi     Read With Me     Soffiyyallah Kamaldeen     Radio Kwara     Idowu Aremu     Baba Idris     Baboko     Aliyu U. Tilde     Young Progressives Party     Ramadan     Solomon Edojah     Mahfouz Adedimeji     Offa Metropolitan Club     Adamu Ibrahim Sabi     Apado     Just Event Online     Abubakar Lah     Balogun-Ojomu     Jimba Babatunde     Maryam Ado Bayero     Igbaja     Folaranmi Aro