EFCC PRESENTS THIRD WITNESS IN EX- KWARA GOVERNOR, FINANCE COMMISSIONER ALLEGED N5.78BN SUBEB FRAUD TRIAL 13-03-25
By Sadiq Aminu The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had presented its third witness, Engineer Abdulsalam Olarewaju Sirajudeen, in the ongoing trial of former Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, and his Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu.
The duo is accused of mismanaging Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) funds to the tune of N5.78 billion.
Engineer Abdulsalam, a project manager with SUBEB in 2013 and later Director of Physical Planning in 2017, explained the procedures for executing projects in primary and junior secondary schools using UBEC’s Matching Grants and Counterpart Funds.
He outlined his responsibilities, which included assessing school needs, conducting surveys, documenting findings, and submitting reports to UBEC for approval and funding.
Abdulsalam stated that the Physical Planning Department prepares action plans based on UBEC guidelines, and UBEC invites them to Abuja for discussions.
He told the court that action plans for 2013, 2014, and 2015 were prepared and sent to UBEC for review and approval, adding however, that despite inviting bidders, the projects were never awarded to contractors.
During cross-examination, Abdulsalam confirmed that neither Ahmed nor Banu was a signatory to SUBEB accounts, which supports previous testimony from another witness, Abubakar Hassan.
The case has been adjourned to April 10-11, 2025, for further hearing.