How Ex-Kwara Governor Abdulfatah Diverted UBEC Funds, Abandoned 51 Projects

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

The trial of the former Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, and his Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu, over the alleged misappropriation of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) funds to the tune of N5.78 billion, continued on Monday, February 17, 2025, before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin.

The former governor and his finance commissioner were accused of conspiring to divert funds meant for the payment of teachers’ salaries under the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), the provision of basic infrastructure for primary and junior secondary schools, and security initiatives in the state. They were arraigned by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on October 21, 2024. However, both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

During Monday’s hearing, the prosecution’s first witness (PW1), Abubakar Hassan, an Assistant Director of Finance at UBEC, while being led in evidence by counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, testified that a total of 51 projects approved under the 2013 action plan were abandoned due to a lack of funds. According to Hassan, the UBEC project monitoring committee discovered that, despite the approval for these projects, the state government under the leadership of erstwhile governor mismanaged the funds.

“My Lord, the Projects Monitoring Exercise conducted investigations and found that many projects were either unexecuted or abandoned. We wrote to the then-Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, in May 2018 to address these issues, but we received no response,” Hassan stated.

He further explained that the abandoned projects spanned all 16 Local Government Areas of Kwara State.

Additionally, Hassan revealed that on January 6, 2015, N1 billion was loaned from the 2013 UBEC Matching Grant Account with Skye Bank Plc to pay staff salaries and pensions. Addressing the utilization of the 2014 and 2015 State Counterpart Funds, he stated that the Kwara SUBEB had illegally withdrawn N1,829,054,054.06 from funds lodged on February 18, 2016. These funds had qualified the state to access the Federal Government’s UBEC Matching Grants.

Hassan further testified that UBEC had sent a letter of invitation requesting documentary evidence regarding the Kwara State Government’s use of UBEC funds.

“We submitted documents showing the lodgment of funds to the Kwara SUBEB. The projects were categorized into three: early care education, primary school education, and junior secondary school education,” he explained.

He also reiterated that UBEC had written to the first defendant (Abdulfatah Ahmed) in May 2018, drawing attention to the alleged mismanagement of education funds. However, there was no response from the state government.

“State Matching Grants are not permitted to be borrowed or utilized for any purpose outside the approved action plan. The objectives of UBEC were undermined due to these infractions and the failure to implement the action plan,” Hassan stated.

Justice Abdulgafar adjourned the case until February 18, 2025, for the cross-examination of PW1.

Transcorp Hilton Abuja Sets the Mood for Valentine’s Day with Exclusive Dining and
Room Offers

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

Transcorp Hilton Abuja is gearing up to make this Valentine’s Day unforgettable with unique dining experiences at its signature restaurants, Zuma Grill and Bukka Restaurant, as well as the
Fulani Pool Bar.

August24news.com gathered that There is also a special room offer for couples.
On February 14th, 2025, couples and singles alike can indulge in a romantic dinner at Zuma Grill, complete with a specially crafted multi-course menu, live music, and an enchanting ambiance.

The evening promises to be a night to remember, with prices starting at N180,000 for singles and N320,000 for couples. The dinner will commence at 7 pm at Zuma Grill, located on the Ground Floor of Transcorp Hilton Abuja.

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Guests who want an enchanting experience by the poolside can enjoy the Fulani Pool Bar where delicious bites, refreshing cocktails and light appetizers will be served in a serene, open-air atmosphere. The beautiful poolside setting, combined with the night sky, provides a perfect backdrop for couples seeking a quiet and intimate celebration.

To make the celebration even more special, Transcorp Hilton Abuja is offering a Valentine’s Day room package, complete with a romantic dinner, champagne, and a relaxing stay in one of its luxurious rooms. Couples can book the package and enjoy a memorable getaway.

Reservations for Zuma Grill can be made by calling 08039013000 or sending a direct message on Instagram @zuma_grill. For Bukka Restaurant, please call 08039013333 for further enquiries or follow @thebukkarestaurant on Instagram. To book the Valentine’s Day room package, please contact the hotel directly.

Transcorp Hilton Abuja invites you to celebrate the spirit of love and togetherness this Valentine’s Day with an unforgettable dining and stay experience.

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

In its continued commitment towards the implementation of the present administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly in the area of improving governance for effective service delivery, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), is intensifying efforts to create a one-stop-shop portal for all government services.

The initiative aligns with the President’s directive to digitise 75% of government services by 2027, a target that is now actively being pursued by various stakeholders.

This was made known when the DG NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE and his team played host to a delegation from the Ukrainian Embassy in Nigeria led by its ambassador, Mr Ivan Kholostenko to the Corporate Headquarters of the Agency in Abuja to discuss possible areas of collaboration between the two countries on ways of enhancing productivity, transparency and trust in government processes.

Despite efforts made for several years at establishing a centralised e-government portal such as the OneGove.net, the NITDA DG noted that the Agency has been playing a pivotal role in shaping the design, standard guidelines, and implementation strategies towards its establishment.

He however stated that renewed commitment and extensive research into global best practices have reignited the drive for pursuing the agenda.

While stating that the Agency has been doing research on how other countries have been able to implement the unified digital government services platform, the DG said, “We have been doing research on how UK, Kenya and other countries have achieved this, so I believe we can learn from you as well to see how we can build our own.”

“While such models are not entirely transferable between nations, we can learn from their experiences to develop a framework that works for Nigeria,” he added.

Proposing an introduction of legal frameworks to back up the initiative, Inuwa disclosed that NITDA has identified multiple models from other nations that allows government agencies to provide services through an Application Programming Interface (API) while other countries provide services exclusively through designated portals backed by law.

“If we want to achieve this, we need to have these laws in place and kickstart the process of enacting the laws in other to facilitate a smooth and effective digital transformation,” he averred.

Inuwa also disclosed that the agency is engaging with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to ensure alignment with global digital governance standards and the engagement is expected to provide valuable expertise and insights into structuring Nigeria’s digital transformation roadmap.

“This initiative is seen as a critical step towards enhancing efficiency, reducing corruption, and promoting transparency in government operations. By leveraging global best practices in alignment with national policies and digital transformation goals, Nigeria will have a smart, seamless and citizen-friendly government service experience, “he concluded.

In his remark, Mr Kholostenko said that Ukraine runs a digital platform known as the Diia application which is an ecosystem that encompasses all of the state registers, databases and can perform all the state and government services for citizens in one place.

He disclosed that it is the intention of his country through its Ministry of Digital Transformation to expand the reach of this initiative and provide full support for other countries to create such kind of system.

“I want to note that we are interested to expand and help other countries to make a digital state, reduce bureaucracy, reduce time for getting state services and of course, to reduce corruption risks, because human-to-human interaction is minimal,” he said.