From Abba Kabara, Gusau.
Zamfara state government has announced a major correction in its earlier claim of alleged N37.4 billion naira cash against the administration of former governor Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar.
It would be recalled that the state government, through its commissioner of finance Alhaji Rabi’u Garba, had last week hosted a world press conference accusing governor Yari’s past administration for alleged fraudulent mismanagement of a sum of over N37 billion naira, being a refund paid for the executed Federal roads projects in the state.
This information was widely reported by the media as actual cash payment to the state through the federal debt recovery office.
The finance commissioner Hon. Garba has announced a correction which he said “there is a difference between actual cash payment and promissory payment” explaining that the said amount was collected in “promissory notes”, nor cash, he stressed.
“Promissory notes, not money or cash was collected on behalf of the previous government of Zamfara State by the then Director General of the Nigerian Governor’s forum”, . Garba who was reacting to some newspaper publications that use “money” or “cash” was collected by the Governor Abdul Azizz Yari administration in the state, further explains that the two financial terms were wrongly used as all the transactions were done through promissory notes.
While explaining how the notes were collected, the finance commissioner gave the breakdown of the promissory notes collected by a lady staff of the then Nigerian Governors’ Forum who was the first to collect the promissory notes of over 14.9 billion Naira.
The second promissory notes amounting to 22 billion Naira was later collected by the then DG of the Nigerian Governors Forum.
He lamented that the collection of the notes were without proper documentation left to the government of the incumbent Governor Bello Muhammad matawalle maradun
Letters seeking for payment or explanation on the N37bn written to both the federal ministry of works and housing and the Debt Management Office have according to Garba, revealed that the said amount was fully reimbursed to the state government.
He alleged that the immediate past administration might have misappropriated the sum of over N10.8 billion which was transferred in two tranches, N5 billion each to the accounts of the State University.
“N850 million was transferred to same account on 9th May 2019” adding that the total sum was diverted to issues that have nothing to do with the university project.
Garba said that the total sum was diverted to issues that have nothing to do with the State University projects, assuring that the Matawalle-led administration will do everything possible to recover the money “so that we can use it in the development of the state University
