Bala, predecessor spat over N11.7bn in state treasury

Samuel Luka, Bauchi

Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state has alleged that his predecessor, Mohammed Abubakar did not willingly leave N11.6 billion in the coffers of the state government as claimed by his media aide, Ali Ali.‎

According to him, former Governor Abubakar wanted to share the N11.6 billion left in the state government’s account to his cronies few hours to his handing over.

The governor who spoke through his spokesperson, Dr. Ladan Salihu at a press conference held at the Government House, Bauchi, said his predecessor did not leave the said money willingly.

Dr. Salihu said that the news making the rounds in the media credited to the former Gov. Abubakar, claiming that he left over N11 billion in the coffers of the state government was untrue.

He alleged that if not for the quick action of Gov. Bala Mohammed, who was then governor-elect, the money would have been shared.

“The state government got refunds from the federation account in the form of bonds that were to be discounted and the money deposited into the coffers of our state government.

“This money hit our account 24 hours to the swearing-in. However, 11 hours to the exit of the government, we had it on credible authority that the then governor instructed for this entire amount to be blown away in form of contract payments for cronies and friends and hangers-on, in forms of other payments that were totally uncalled for.

“The incumbent governor reached out to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and got them to block these payments. I think Mohammed Abubakar would go down in history as the first governor that has qualified to have a special place in the Guinness Book of Records for profligacy in government,” the spokesman added.

Salihu further alleged that “this was a governor that would have spent N11 billion in 11 hours leading to his exit from government. Nowhere in the history of leadership in this country at the level he operated was that recorded in our country.

If there was a governor that would have qualified for a gold medal in the history of our country in the area of misappropriation, misapplication and mismanagement of funds, it was the former governor.”

He claimed that if the EFCC had not been contacted to put a halt and to block the state accounts, nobody would have been talking of N11 billion in the account of the state government.

According to him, the N11.6 billion was part of N14.7 billion which was discounted at 16 per cent even though other states got their funds discounted at nine per cent, “so it is clear for those who are familiar with the trends in financial circles that there was an insider trading. Bauchi state government was short-changed.”

He said that despite this the attitude of the incumbent governor is that he is a man of peace, a man of aptitude and attitude in the most sincere form of governance, who wants an amicable transition process and not to join issues with the former government.

Salihu threatened to open a Pandora box of the things that happened during the administration of Abubakar that were too sordid to believe, too sordid to mention and too impossible to have been done under the watch of an executive governor should they resort to telling lies to the people of Bauchi state.