A witness in the ongoing trial of former Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, and his former Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu, has accused the ex-governor of diverting funds meant for Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) projects.
During proceedings on Monday, February 17, 2025, at the State High Court in Ilorin, Abubakar Hassan, an Assistant Director of Finance at UBEC, testified that funds earmarked for educational projects were misappropriated under Ahmed’s leadership.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting the duo on a 12-count charge of mismanagement, involving a total of N5.78 billion.
According to Hassan, 51 UBEC projects, approved in 2013, were left abandoned due to inadequate funding. Despite UBEC’s release of funds for their execution, these projects were not completed, and no response was received from the state government after they raised concerns in May 2018.
He further explained that the abandoned projects were scattered all through the 16 Local Government Areas of the state and further revealed that on January 6, 2015, the sum N1 billion had to be loaned from the 2013 UBEC Matching Grant Account with Skye Bank Plc to pay staff salaries and pensions.
While addressing the utilisation of the 2014 and 2015 State Counterpart Funds, he stated that the Kwara SUBEB illegally withdrew the sum of N1,829,054,054.06 from funds lodged on February 18, 2016, stating that the withdrawn funds qualified the state to access the Federal Government’s UBE Matching Grants.
“State Matching Grants are not permitted to be borrowed or utilised for any purpose outside the approved action plan. The objectives of UBEC were undermined due to these infractions and the failure to implement the Action Plan,” he said.
Meanwhile, worried by the diversion of the funds, the witness disclosed that UBEC also had to send a letter of invitation to the state government, requesting a documentary evidence on Kwara State Government’s use of UBEC funds.
Attached to the invite were documents showing the lodgment of funds from UBEC to the Kwara SUBEB.
However, Justice Abdulgafar adjourned the matter until February 18, 2025, for cross-examination of the witness.
