A witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has told the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin that Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) contracts were allegedly never awarded to contractors during the tenure of former Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed.
The EFCC’s third witness, Engineer Abdulsalam Olarewaju Sirajudeen, made this allegation during the ongoing trial concerning the alleged misappropriation of N5.78 billion in UBEC funds by the ex-governor and his Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu, according to an EFCC statement on Thursday.
Ahmed served as Kwara governor from May 29, 2011, to May 29, 2019.
The duo is accused of conspiring “to steal money meant for the payment of teachers’ salaries under the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), as well as funds designated for security and infrastructural development in the state.”
They were arraigned on October 21, 2024, by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the EFCC.
Both pleaded not guilty to the charges in open court, paving the way for trial.
What Transpired in Court
- Testifying before the court, Sirajudeen, who was a project manager with SUBEB and later the Director of Physical Planning in 2017, explained that there were stipulated procedures for executing projects in primary and junior secondary schools using UBEC’s Matching Grants and Counterpart Funds.
- He stated that these procedures included visiting schools across Kwara’s 16 local government areas to assess their needs, conducting surveys, documenting findings, and submitting reports to UBEC for approval and funding.
“The Physical Planning Department prepares the action plans based on guidelines provided by UBEC.”
“UBEC then invites us to Abuja for discussions on the action plan,” he said.
- Led in evidence by EFCC counsel Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, Sirajudeen stated that an action plan for 2013 was prepared and sent to UBEC for review and approval.
“After approval, an advertisement is placed, inviting qualified contractors to bid. After four weeks, bidding takes place in the presence of all stakeholders, including UBEC representatives. Contractors who win the bids are then mobilized to project sites,” he added.
- According to the witness, similar action plans were prepared for 2014 and 2015 and submitted to UBEC for approval.
- However, he noted that “while bidders were invited, the [UBEC] projects were never awarded to contractors.”
- During cross-examination by defense counsel, led by Jimoh Mumini, SAN, and Gboyega Oyewole, SAN, Sirajudeen confirmed that neither Ahmed nor Banu was a signatory to SUBEB accounts, though SUBEB was under the purview of the state government.
- The judge subsequently adjourned the matter to April 10 and 11, 2025, for further hearings.
