Former AG Says N1bn Kwara SUBEB’s Fund Not Diverted for Personal Use

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Ex-Kwara State Accountant General (AG), Mr. Suleiman Ishola, yesterday, testified that the administration of former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed in 2013 actually took the sum of N1 billion loan to augment the payment of civil servants and pensioners salaries in the state.

Isola also said that the fund was not diverted to personal pockets as being insinuated in certain quarters.
The ex-AG, who is also Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness, stated this at the state High Court, Ilorin, yesterday when being led in evidence by the EFCC Counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN).

Isola was testifying before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar in the ongoing trial of former Governor Ahmed and his former Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Demola Banu, over alleged misappropriation of the State Universal Basic Education Board(SUBEB) funds.

Ishola added that the Ahmed-led government actually took the sum of N1 billion to pay workers salaries and arrears of pensions.
Ex-Chairman of SUBEB, Alhaji Lanre Daibu, on Thursday this week revealed that the N1 billion loan was used by the then state government to augment salary payment of workers and arrears of pensioners salaries.

Alhaji Daibu also told the court that the first defendant who is the former governor of the state, Alhaji Ahmed and second defendant who is also the former commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Banu were not signatories to the SUBEB accounts while the money approved for the payment of workers and pensioners and was not paid into personal accounts.

Isola however said, “As the Accountant General, the governor must approve all payments before I can go ahead with the payment.”
He added, “In 2014 I was copied with a letter that a sum of one billion Naira would be coming from SUBEB to the Kwara State government salary account for payment of salaries and pensions.

 “The Perm Secretary conveyed the directive of the Finance Commissioner to me to pay salaries.

 “Ordinarily, the one billion Naira was not enough to pay salaries. We still had a deficit of over N700 million.

 “On receipt of warrants and vouchers from various ministries we made payment generally. That is one of our duties.”