No Scam in N46bn Fertiliser Deal – Nigeria Govs’ Forum

The Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) has debunked allegations of fraud in the N46 billion fertilizer deal involving fertilizer producers and the government of Jigawa State, among others.
A report carried by a national newspaper had said that the Senate was set to commence on Thursday the probe into alleged the misappropriation of N46 billion fertilizer scam involving Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Badaru Mohammed, the President of the Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN), Mr Thomas Etuh, and other top government officials.
In a statement issued by spokesman of the NGF, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, the forum denied any form of fraud in the deal, saying the petitioners were out to create mischief and propagate falsehood.
According to the statement, “From the content of the petition, we can understand the motive and malicious intent of the petitioners. The fertiliser dealers are obviously worried that the rent-seeking era and the high fertilizer exploitation of farmers by dealers are coming to an end.
“The intervention programme was initiated by the Federal Government and the states to ensure efficient and timely distribution of fertiliser to farmers nationwide at very affordable farm gate price of NA5, 500 (Five Thousand, five hundred naira only ) per 50kg, contrary to the dubious claims of N8,000 (Eight Thousand naira) as stated by the petitioners).
The fertiliser manufacturers had on Tuesday submitted a petition to the Senate Committee on Agriculture in which they accused the Jigawa State Governor and FEPSAN president, among others, of hijacking the multi-billion naira fertilizer deal earlier initiated by President Muhammadu Buhari and his Moroccan counterpart King Mohammed Vi.
In a six-page petition made available to journalists in Abuja, FEPSAN President was alleged to have used his personal company, TAK Agro, and his foreign agent to hijack the deal.
The petition, which was jointly signed by fertiliser dealers, Mr Mohammed Sani, Felix Okonti, Chika Chukwudili, Misbahu Bello Sani, Noel Keyen, Nnamdi Okoro and Boniface Ukoko, also claimed that FEPSAN and others have refused to make public the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the fertilizer, apart from the earlier media show.
“The role and interest of Governor of Jigawa, Alhaji Badaru Abubakar, Mr Thomas Etuh of FEPSAN, Thomas personal company, TAK Agro, the CBN, and Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority in these MoU are unclear and should be brought to the public domain through the National Assembly.
“Why was only company TAK Agro given the sole monopoly to import Muriate Of Potassium, bag, clear, store, transport and distribute the raw material. Why did the involved cement companies to supply lime stone instead appointing fertilizer manufacturers, or blenders who produce agriculture lime to supply calcium granules,” the petition alleged.