The Adamawa state House of Assembly is blowing hot and threatening all manner of actions against the executive arm over a "strange N77.32billion". The House, it was learnt allegedly uncovered that the said N77 billion mysteriously found its way into the state coffers and got spirited away the same way.
This prompted an immediate motion moved by the chairman House Committee on finance and appropriation, Abdulrahman Isa during plenary for the executive arm to explain the source of the huge amount, particularly it's instrument of both acquisition and spending.
Accordingly, Deputy Governor Martin Babale, Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Mr. Buba Bindir, Finance Commissioner, Mahmoud Sali Yunusa and the chair of State Board of Internal Revenue, Hamma-Adama Njabbari were some of the top government officials grilled by the lawmakers.
While Deputy Governor Babale, who doubles as Commissioner of Special Duties, was summoned in connection to security deterioration and how relief materials made for IDPs found it's way into the open market.
The House at plenary querried an alleged discrepancy in funds provided for IDPs and how assortment of relief materials meant for their use were being sold in the market.
SSG Bindir however failed to explain satisfactorily, the whereabouts of N6bn that allegedly got into the accounts of the state. He nontheless said that the state government got a loan of N77.328bn in total from the World Bank.
Through a motion moved on Monday, the lawmakers resolved to carry out the investigation due to what the House described as inadequate information about cash traffic in the state.
Of parricular contention is the issue of Sectoral funds to the tune of N6bn, which allegedly got into the state government coffers from the World Bank, and mysteriously so; among other burning matters, as learnt.
The SSG however avoided the key issue involving about N6bn thus, "Mr. Speaker, I am happy to report to the house through you that we have eight projects through which Adamawa state gets resources from the World Bank.
"The first is RAMP (Rural Access and Mobility Project), for constructing rural roads”. Dr. Bindir Said.
He furthered, “The money we got from the World Bank is a Credit and it is $50m at N360 per Dollar, it is equivalent to N18bn. RAMP is a unit implemented under a government agency in the ministry of Rural infrastructure.
"The second is the credit drawn from the World Bank for implementing Primary Health Care project, which too, is a $50m credit, equivalent to another N18bn. And the PHC is under the ministry of Health” He added.
The SSG also mentioned the National Agency for the Control of Aids (NACA), Fadama Project and Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA) which got credits of N1.08bn, N4.212bn and N6.48bn respectively.
Other World Bank projects according to the SSG includes; State Education Project Investment Program (SEPIP), Youth Empowerment and Social Support Operation (YESSO) and a sectoral program which also have credits of N8.3bn, N5.04bn and N16.2bn respectively.
"The sectoral program is a package from the World Bank dedicated for the three frontline states; Adamawa, Yobe and Borno. And the share for Adamawa is $54m equivalent to N16.2bn", SSG submitted.
“Now, all these packages are at various levels of implementation and that the World Bank’s Projects are not implemented the way we do our own here”. Bindir explains.
“They have a Project Finance Monitoring Unit (PFMU) in the Office of the Accountant General, who take care of how much is withdrawn, when and how much is left.
“I guessed Mr. Speaker I have to apologize; because of the time I was given to appear here, I was unable to get the PFMU to reveal details of how much was withdrawn and how much is left”.
But the Chairman, House committee on Health, Hon. Rufa’i Umar vigorously countered the SSG, saying funds expended on Primary Health Care in the state were not justified, stressing, "PHC clinics are not in good condition and don’t even have laboratories despite the huge amount invested by the World Bank.
Rufai obviously reacted to claims by the SSG that “Adamawa state is among the best states in the implementation of PHC projects in Nigeria”.
The finance commissioner and the Revenue Board chair were scheduled for a later date due to unavailability of relevant documents, just as the Speaker of the house ordered the SSG to provide the appropriate staff of agencies between Monday and Wednesday next week.