Report by ALI MUHAMMAD RABIU; Editing by BASIRAT MEMUDU
Kwara state High Court has fixed April 10 and 11 for continuation of trial of ex- Kwara State governor, AbdulFatah Ahmed and his finance commissioner Demola Banu over alleged diversion of N5.78 billion Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
The Ilorin zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) dragged the two public officers before the court for trial.
The duo had pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them.
Led in evidence by the EFCC, counsel Rotimi Jacobs, the third witness, Engineer Abdulsalam Olanrewaju told the court that though the state paid its counterpart fund otherwise known as marching grants of N952 million and N869 million to the Skye Bank designated account in 2014 and 2015, the state Universal Basic Basic Education Board (SUBEB) did not give out any contract.
Engineer Olanrewaju noted that UBEC approved the 2014 and 2015 action plan presented to its by Kwara state SUBEB, adding that the contractors that handled the 2013 projects were eventually paid their money after they had protested delayed in payment.
Engineer Olanrewaju who was the Project Manager of SUBEB between 1998 and 2017, said he was in charge of the infrastructure needs of public primary and junior secondary schools in the state.
He explained that he became the Director of Physical Planning in 2018 and his duty is to do the condition survey of schools as well as the population of students, adding that he doesn’t know anything about administration.
Engineer Olanrewaju said UBEC monitoring team from Abuja came to supervise the extent of job done by the contractors in 2013 and they were satisfied, noting that the job done was beyond expectation.
During cross-examination by ex-governor Ahmed’s counsel, Mumuni Jimoh (SAN), the trained civil engineer revealed that signatories to SUBEB’s account were accountant, permanent secretary and executive chairman of the board.
Earlier, the second witness, Dr Musa Dasuki had told the court that marching grants from both UBEC and SUBEB could not be used for any other purposes than for the infrastructural needs of primary and junior secondary schools to ensure that ‘every child count.
