Nasarawa Accountant-General Absconds as Pressure Mounts over Debts Payment

Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia

Nasarawa State Government is finding it difficult to meet its financial obligations owing to depleting resources, THISDAY’s findings revealed yesterday.

The development has reportedly paralysed government activities with most of the ministries and agencies unable to get their statutory overhead.

The state government also owes millions of naira for advert placements to media organisations.

It was gathered that the adverts ran into several months with affected reporters under immense pressure to pay the money by their respective bosses at the headquarters.

The situation was compounded by the recent garnishing of three reputable banks where their accounts are domiciled following a petition by some group of pensioners in the state, THISDAY gathered.

Last Friday, an Industrial Court in Makurdi, Benue State, ordered the affected banks to immediately release the sum of over N1 billion to the pensioners.

The Makurdi division of the Industrial Court also reprimanded the Nasarawa State Government for denying those who had served the state meritoriously their statutory entitlements.

The Accountant-General of the state, Ahmed Muhammad, has been inundated with demands which have “forced him to abscond from his seat.”

THISDAY was reliably informed that the accountant-general has not been in office for three days since the office opened last Monday, as pressure mounted on him to pay debts owed by the state government.

When contacted on the development, the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Governor Abdullahi Sule on Public Affairs, Mr. Peter Ahemba, said the state government always meets its obligations.

He said it was mischievous to claim that the accountant-general absconded from his office over debt, noting that the AG was sent on official assignment by Governor Sule.