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Of Bafarawa and The Ghost of N13 Billion By Dahiru Maishanu London
‘Those who try to swallow the Elephant’s
bone must be prepared to have their throats perforated’ Alhaji
Musa DanKwairo: Wakar Sardauna
The fallout of the April, 2007 polls in
Nigeria has created interesting revelations and controversies. New State
administrations and old ones are trading words on what the former has
left or bequeathed to the latter. The nucleus of all the controversies
currently raging is money, that quintessential Nigerian dominant factor
denominator.
Of all the controversies that are going
on, what catches my attention most is the issue of the N13 Billion cash
reserve, the former Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa had
told the world more than over six months ago, that he had saved for the
people of the State. This was most amplified during the campaign period
when the Governor and his “drummers” were using this as a milestone
achievement and consequently a yard stick for measuring his performance
in office against other governors in the country. This assumption has
been used variously by some so-called analysts and other Bafarawa
apologists to give credence to the former Governor’s quest for the
Presidency as the Presidential flag bearer of the now moribund
Democratic People’s Party, DPP.
My inner mind had told me that the issue
of N13 Billion was not only a ruse, but also a wicked assault on our
collective intelligence. My knowledge of what was going on in Sokoto
under Bafarawa was my greatest weapon against this issue. The financial
scandals, cover-ups, trump-ups and allegations of inflation of contracts
were too weighty to allow for a cash surplus to the tune of N13 Billion
in a state that has systematically been turned to be more of a liability
to the federation than an asset. A state whose natural and human
resources have been ransacked and recklessly squandered for the past
eight years by the same government that has been laying claim to saving
N13 billion in its coffers.
I knew the only miracle that would save
the former Governor from eating his words on this issue was a victory
for his estranged political party that was looking every inch like a
Barbie in a toy shop; motionless and helpless. The moment the DPP lost
the election in Sokoto, I knew the die was cast; the game was up and the
time for vomiting N13 Billion had come. No wonder the new administration
of Dr. Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko has so far left no stone unturned in
uncovering the where-about of the much celebrated N13 Billion.
The new Governor blew the lid himself when
he mentioned unequivocally, at his inaugural ceremony that the
Transition Committee he had set up to look into the finances of the
State had met with no N13 billion cash reserve as has been continuously
echoed by the former administration. He further revealed to the
bewildered public that the state has overdrawn its account to the tune
of more than N2 billion while a scandalous sum, close to 500million has
been paid as severance fees to outgoing political office holders.
This was almost immediately countered by
the former regime’s Finance Commissioner who came out with a list of
bank accounts where according to her over N5 Billion of the said amount
was being lodged. She concluded by saying that there was another N2
Billion in stock holdings for the state. She however, failed short of
providing the public with both contractual liabilities and other
accumulated payables where the crux of the matter really lied.
The Transition Committee’s findings were
straight to the point and simple to comprehend. While the former
administration’s point men were giving only the credit side of the
financial statement to the public, the Transition Committee had both the
credit and debit sides of the State financial profile. This was where
the public was confused.
The Transition Committee had the positive
cash balances and assets in stockholdings as well as contractual
liabilities, accumulated interest liability on World Bank loan facility
and the overdrawn cash account balances in the banks all in its hands.
All these were signed by the Accountant General and verified by the
Commissioner of Finance herself. According to the Committee, all their
calculations were done using the details provided them by the Ministry
and as such, any differing explanation from the Ministry is only a self
inflicted contradiction.
The Committee got from the statement of
accounts presented to it, a net cash balance of N5.029 Billion, a net
stock value of N2.866 while the local government joint account had a
positive value of N75.782 million. All these when summed up, according
to the Transition Committee, stood at N7.971 Billion as total credit to
the State Government both in cash and stock holdings as at 30th
April, 2007, not N13billion cash reserve that the former administration
had been drumming all along.
On the liabilities side, the Committee was
handed by the same Ministry of Finance, contractual liabilities owed by
the State Government of N5.349billion and two accounts belonging to the
State Government whose book value as at 30th April showed
they were over drawn to the tune of N2.391billion. Accumulated interest
on a World Bank facility was also given as N502.2 Million. Finally, the
Committee calculated what they called the total debit (liabilities) at
N8.243billion.
The Committee then simply deducted these
debit figures (N8.243 Billion) from the combined positive balances
(N7.971Billion) and came out with a negative net balance of
–N271million. This simply means as at 30th of April, 2007,
Sokoto State had a negative cash balance of almost three hundred million
and not a positive cash reserve of N13Billion as has been orchestrated
by the former regime.
From the above rudimentary accounting,
even a lay man can understand the fact that indeed the Sokoto State
account was in the red as at the 30th of April which was the
terminal date in the Committee’s time scope. Unless the former
administration gives us details of where the monies are, we will
continue to hold as a ruse, the proclamation that the state had
N13Billion cash reserve.
Amidst all these, the former Governor, has
characteristically, called on the EFCC Chairman to wage into the matter.
This is not the first time such pre-emptive action has happened in the
political development of our State, but this time around, it came at the
most auspicious time for the financial crime watch-dog to visit Sokoto
and find out where the missing N13 Billion is. The people of Sokoto are
eagerly awaiting the arrival the EFCC in Sokoto. They cannot afford to
lose such a colossal sum of money. Let the truth be unraveled.
Apart from the issue of the N13 Billion,
the people of Sokoto are also asking the EFCC to look into other serious
issues that have, hitherto been swept under the carpet. These include
the alleged illegal account called the ‘SSG2 account’ where between two
hundred and four hundred million Naira was believed to have been
siphoned on a monthly basis by the immediate past administration since
2004. The Signatory to that account was allegedly believed to be the
immediate past Secretary to the State Government and gubernatorial
candidate of the DPP, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi.
Similarly, the people if Sokoto are asking
the EFCC to investigate how the shares of Sokoto State in the Cement
Company of Northern Nigeria, Sokoto ended in the hands of the former
Governor’s younger brother who, prior to that, had no visible means of
acquiring such a multi-million naira profile. How iron rod costing over
a billion Naira was procured and how it ended into private hands is also
a serious issue begging the attention of the indefatigable Mallam Nuhu
Ribadu and his men.
The time for dancing naked in the village
square by those who swallowed the frog is nigh. The rhythm of the blues
is being amplified to the listening ears of all and sundry. The lid has
been opened; those who tried to play God will find out how difficult it
is to emulate even the Cockroach.
The masses of the people have given Sokoto
a new leaf of life. They have celebrated the ouster of a
cronyism-infested cabal; the defeat of the most arrogant leadership to
have ever come their way. God, in His infinite mercy has accepted the
prayer of the down trodden and what remains is for the new leadership to
take up the challenge diligently with a sense of history and fair play.
If they do this, posterity will be positively on their side. We all
welcome Mallam Nuhu Ribadu to Sokoto.
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