By Nkechi Eze
The Fourth Prosecution Witness, PW4, Lanre Daibu, in the trial of former governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed and his Finance Commissioner, Ademola Banu on Thursday, April 10, 2025 told Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin that Banu directed the release of the sum of N1billion from the 2013 Matching Grant fund of the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, for the purpose of payment of salaries of teachers and pensioners in the state in January 2015 and did not repay it until the Board was dissolved.
Ahmed and Banu are facing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on amended 14-count charge, bordering on stealing and mismanagement of UBEC funds in the state to the tune of N5.78billion.
Dele Oyewale the commission’s spokesperson in an official signed statement disclosed that Daibu, former Chairman, Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB while being led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN said, “My lord, the second defendant, Banu, called me on phone that the state government needed money to pay salaries of its workforce and pensioners. The Board sat on the issue and concluded that such requests must be in writing and not telephone conversation. I, therefore, called the Honourable Commissioner to put it into writing.
“The reason we insisted that such a request should be in writing was to ensure that we get commitment from the state government as to when they are going to pay back the loan. In the letter signed on behalf of the second defendant, they promised to pay back in a month or two. However, they did not repay the loan till the Board was dissolved.”
Testifying further, he said, “I was reluctant to grant the request because I was fully aware that the state government has no right to borrow or spend UBEC Matching Grant, meant to be used for the purposes stated in the Action Plan.”
He further disclosed that a letter, marked “Exhibit 4,” which emanated from Kwara State Ministry of Finance indicated that the then state governor gave approval for the loan to be granted.
The witness informed the court that he could not finish his tenure as Chairman of SUBEB in the state following the dissolution of the Board before the expiration of his tenure.
In his testimony, the Fifth Prosecution Witness, PW5, Benjamin Sehinde Fatigun, a retired permanent secretary in the state’s Ministry of Finance, also confirmed that former governor Ahmed authorized the loan request.
“There was an approval from the then governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed that the State Universal Basic Education Board should lend the Kwara State Government the sum of N1billion to augment the payment for civil servants and retirees. I got the approval from the Honourable Commissioner for Finance, that is the second defendant and the fund was transferred to the state’s salary account,” he said.
Both witnesses were cross-examined by Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN and Gboyega Oyewole, SAN, counsel to the first and second defendants.
Under cross-examination, Fatigun told the court that the state government through the Ministry of Finance could not pay salaries and had to inform the state governor of the predicament in writing and a decision was reached to borrow from SUBEB.
“My lord, a letter emanated from the Ministry of Finance to the Office of the Executive Governor of the state that we have challenges in paying salaries and SUBEB was suggested as a way out and I explained in the statements I made with the EFCC how the sum of N1billion was released.
The case was adjourned till Friday, April 11, 2025 for further hearing.
