Alleged N2bn Fertilizer Scam: Former Governor Abubakar Of Bauchi Dragged Before EFCC
BY ADEYEMI AKANJI, BAUCHI – An anti-corruption group on the aegis of “Bauchi State Coalition Against Financial Crimes and Injustice (BACAFCI) has dragged the immediate past governor of the state, Alhaji Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar and some of the officials that served in his administration before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly committing the state to a supply of fertilizer deal worth over two N2billion without a formal contract entered.
Chairman of BACAFCI, Alhaji Bibi Dogo, who stated this in a statement he issued on Monday, said that records in the possession of the group showed that on 18 August, 2016, the Bauchi State Agricultural Supply Company (BASAC) confirmed that for the 2016 farming season, it received over 73,197 bags of fertilizer from three companies.
In the words of Dogo; “El-Abbas Universal supplied 65,997 bags, that is 109.99trucks, MBS Merchant supplied 6,600 bags that are 11 trucks and Gabadori Nigeria Limited supplied 600 bags only, that is one truck only. But while seeking approval from the former governor via a memo, the then Commissioner for Agriculture added 99.9 trucks instead of 98.9 trucks, and for El Abbas universal concept that supplied 109.99 trucks the memo claimed it was 323.29trucks with over 200 trucks added.
“While for MBBS Merchant Limited the number of trucks was inflated from 11 trucks to 100 trucks and the money inflated was paid”.
Dogo faulted the way the contractors were invited via intent letter just to defraud the state and divert funds without a budget or approval of the Procurement Bureau, Due Process office. The memo which the former governor approved inflated the price of fertilizer per bag from N6,100 to N7,200 for falsely added trucks.
Dogo further said that the due process certificate for 2016 only approved 400,000 bags of fertilizer for the 2016 season at the cost of N2,813,340,000,00 which when divided at the cost of N6,100 per bag, there was never due process again for the variation and no budget approval by the state assembly for the increase.
He also said that from the Memo sent to the Governor, it was stated that he had reduced the 2016 fertilizer from 20,000 metric tonnes to 15,000 metric tonnes that is from 400,000 to 300,000 bags and the memo presented a sum of N2,197,840,800,00 for 314,514 bags which details he didn’t cross-check before his approval.
The Chairman also alleged that one Mallam Sule Ningi collected over one N1 billion payment in cash contrary to money laundering act which put the limit of the money that an individual can collect at N5million, and suspected that the aim of the act was to pocket the balances of any inflated sum.
