Loans From KWSUBEB Funds Used To Pay Workers’ Salaries, Not Repaid: EFCC Witness
At the resumed hearing of alleged diversion of Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (KWSUBEB) funds by former Kwara State Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed and his Finance Commissioner Demola Banu, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness, Dr Musa Dasuki, yesterday told a state High Court that the state retrieved its marching grants between 2013 and 2016 to pay workers’ salaries.
Ilorin Zonal Directorate of EFCC had taken the duo to court, accusing them of misappropriation of Universal Basic Education Commission’s (UBEC’s) marching grants of N5.78 billion between 2013 and 2019.
However, both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Dasuki, a retired permanent Secretary from KWSUBEB, said the state paid its 50 per cent counterpart funds to SUBEB between 2013 and 2016 without default.
The state paid over N1billion in 2013, N952million, N869million and N973million in 2015, 2015 and 2016 as its marching grants to Skye Bank designated account.
The witness, who is also a suspect in the case, said the state government requested for the withdrawal of the funds from the Skye Bank designated account as loan for the payment of workers’ salaries.
The veterinary surgeon told the court during cross-examination by the former governor counsel, Jimoh Mumuni (SAN) that ex-governor Ahmed and Mr Banu were neither signatories of SUBEB’s account nor board members.
“The loan was not granted to the then governor Ahmed or his commissioner for finance. Though the loan was not repaid to the best of my knowledge, it was essentially granted to pay workers’ salaries.
“The SUBEB has a board. I was a member as a permanent secretary and the accounting officer of the board. The two of them were not members of the board. They cannot be members by the virtue of the law establishing the board.”
Earlier, when cross-examined by EFCC counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, the retired permanent secretary said the short term loans granted SUBEB granted to the state government in those years marred the execution of those projects.
The projects were the provision of infrastructure facilities to primary and junior secondary schools in the state.
