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JUNE 18, 2007 VOL. 21, NO. 10

Their Looting Excellencies

**Nuhu Ribadu, EFCC Chairman.**

New state governors discover to their chagrin that their predecessors left them empty treasuries thus making the tasks ahead of them, almost herculean
By Bayo Bernard
The admonition of Johana Von Schiller, that “he who has done his best for his own time live for all times,” may indeed, not be applicable to former governors of some of Nigeria’s 36 states, as many of them have put their states in financial quandary, thus making the tasks ahead of their successors almost impossible.
In fact, two-thirds of states chief executives who took the oath of office on May 29 are quite new and as expected, many of them used the occasion of the swearing-in as a platform to reaffirm the promises of a better life designed to meet the yearnings and expectations of those who voted them into power.
Perhaps, the new helmsmen did not use the time lag between when they were Governors-elect and the actual swearing-in to examine the account books of their predecessors, before reaffirming their promises of heaven on earth to their respective peoples.
But now, the deed appears to have been done and the new governors are already in a fix as their predecessors, many of whom are already on the run, have left debt profiles running into billions of naira that will handicap the new administration from urgently delivering the dividends of democracy to Nigerians.
In Benue State, Governor Gabriel Torwua Suswam, is currently battling with how to put smiles on the faces of his people, having taken an oath to that effect. But, perhaps, unknown to him, former Governor George Akume in the midst of the politicking that threw Suswam up as consensus candidate of the PDP, failed to disclose that a herculean task awaited him. Already, the Akume successor is facing the stark reality that his predecessor, who received a total of N95.5 billion as allocations from the Federation Accounts between 1999 and 2006, seemingly has nothing tangible to show for it. This, surely, has added another infamy to Akume who lost the Senate Presidency last Tuesday, June 5, to his kinsman, David Mark. In fact, many prominent citizens of the state led by former Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, have petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), over what they termed as Akume’s approval of “monstrous sums of money through memos of non-existing projects, award of inflated contracts to friends who ended up returning part of the money to him; direct and illegal deductions from local government councils; frivolous donations and making payment for contracts through Irrevocable Standing Payment Orders (ISPOs).”
In Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, a certain disquiet envelopes the skyline as immediate past governor of the state, Victor Attah, who was among the PDP horde of aspirants that showed interest in the nation’s number one job – and save for the last minute politicking that led to the emergence of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as the party consensus candidate, Attah was an obvious front-runner - the disputations over the state he left his state’s treasury appears shocking to many within and outside the state.
The immediate past governor of the oil-rich state is currently in a battle to clear the allegation that he left an empty treasury – in fact worse than that, a debt portfolio of over N48 billion for the new administration. The issue has now grown into a major controversy between the former helmsman and his successor. Instructively, Godswill Akpabio the incumbent Governor of the state, was for six years a member of Attah’s administration as commissioner.
While Attah contends that Akpabio was being economical with the truth – even though he refused to mention specifically how much he left behind in the state coffers, as at the time he handed over- Akpabio remains trenchant in his assertion that he met an empty purse.
Refuting his successor’s claims, Attah stated that each of the 36 new Governors in the country took off with at least the May allocation from the Federation Account. Apart from claiming that between eight and N10 billion was in the balance sheet of the state, as at May 29, the former presidential aspirant said that his state “must be one of the very few governments that actually provided a full audit and verified and submitted up to the end of December 2006 before we left office.” More interestingly, however, is the fact that a former commissioner of Finance in Attah’s government who is now the current Secretary to the State Government (SSG), was the one that prepared the handing over account.
For Plateau State, Governor Jonah Jang is among the few governors who did not have the benefit of receiving the baton of power direct from his predecessor, Joshua Dariye. Although the former helmsman simply disappeared into thin air before the formal hand-over, his antecedents in office did not leave much to be desired. Unfortunately, Plateau State workers, most of whom have been forced to sleep with empty stomachs throughout Dariye’s inglorious years in office, will perhaps, need to wait a little longer to have their problems assuaged as the eight years of the former helmsman has left the state with a debt profile of N70 billion, arising from wasted opportunities and a near total economic collapse characterised by unprecedennted mismanagement of resources by the out- gone administration of Joshua Chibi Dariye. Meanwhile, a little ray of hope shone for the people last week when a British court ordered an accomplice of the former governor, Joyce Oyebanjo, to refund the sum of N50.8 million being part of an alleged stolen $1.4m pounds (over N250million) to the Nigerian government.
Commenting on the decision, British International Development Secretary, Hillary Benn, said: “This stolen money, originally meant for projects in Nigeria’s Plateau State, including drinking water for villagers, was instead siphoned off into private bank accounts.”
On the other hand, Saminu Turaki is one of the former governors that last Tuesday took his seat in the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly as a Senator of the Federal Republic, but, Governor Sule Lamido, the new helmsman, has sent a clear message to the people of jigawa State to the effect that he might not be able to deliver his promises at the end of his four-years term in office as Turaki, former helmsman of the Silicon state, left a huge debt profile of almost N140billion arising from outstanding loans, contractual obligations and liabilities for the new administration. Giving a breakdown of the figures, chairman of Jigawa State’s Transition Committee, Alhaji Adamu Muhammed, said that the total outstanding payments stood at more than N120billion, while domestic bank loans is currently up to the tune of over N13billion.
In Sokoto, the seat of the caliphate, a major political row is also brewing between the immediate past governor, Attahiru Bafarawa and his successor, Aliyu Magatakapda Wamakko, who rubbished Bafarawa’s political influence in the last governorship election. Wamakko, who at a time was Bafarawa’s deputy, has refuted his predecessor’s claims that he left N13billion in the kitty of the state at the time he left office on May 29, saying instead that the state of the treasury which he inherited was in red.
According to the new governor, who is also alleging that the former governor withdrew about N500million between April 16 and last week, to pay former top government functionaries, “the much celebrated N13billion purportedly bequeathed by the out-gone administration could not be traced; instead, almost all the major government accounts were found to have been overdrawn to the tune of over two billion Naira, while other accounts were in deficits.” As at last Thursday, the state government put the debt allegedly left by Bafarawa at N5.3billion and this has compelled the former helmsman, intent on clearing his name, to invite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to look into the state’s book.
If other governors who looted their respective state treasury were lucky to escape the aggression of their people, one man who was made to face the ire of the people was former Governor Lucky Igbinedion of Edo State. May 29 was no doubt a day of reckoning for the former governor, who is aptly described as Governor do Nothing. Across the length and breadth of the state, infrastructure remained in absolute decay as the scion of the famed Igbinedion family, apart from leaving a high debt profile for Governor Oserheimen Osunbor, a professor, apparently left the state worse than he met it.
Among the huge debt left by Igbinedion is one billion Naira allegedly used by his administration to build the Iyereoba Housing Estate, a loan that the Osunbor administration will have to pay N400million yearly to service. Besides, he (Igbinedion) was said to have pocketed N70million provided by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for the construction of a major road in the state, while another N800million meant for dredging the Ikpoba River is said not to be properly accounted for by the former governor.
The Igbinedion case has, however, thrown up other controversies, one of which is his government’s alleged involvement in the demise of Godwin Ovbiagele, a former commissioner for Health. So also the escape of the state’s Accountant General who was said to have helped the administration loot the state’s resources.
For Emmanuel Uduaghan and the people of the Big Heart, Delta state, the next few months will tell whether the new governor will indeed be able to say “Ebenezer” at the end of his four-year term in office.
Currently, a federal High Court in Abuja is hearing a case instituted by some elders in the state, Goodday Orubebe, Chief Godwin Ogbetuo and chief Sunday Iyawa, asking for an order to compel the EFCC to investigate Ibori for alleged looting of the state treasury to the tune of over N12billion between 1999 and 2001 alone. According to information available to The Source, Ibori allegedly siphoned N1.4billion in 1999 alone, while in 2000 and 2001 the former governor looted N504million and N10.7 billion respectively.
However, watchers of Delta State politics say that it may be difficult to make the former governor account for the ‘trespass’ considering the fact that he openly played a lead role in the making of President Umaru Yar’Adua. So too is the fact that Uduaghan is a blood relation of the former helmsman.
For former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, the realization that he left an empty treasury for the new helmsman, Senator Liyel Imoke, and a debt profile to the tune of N75billion, may keep haunting him.
Although a wholesome part of the debt burden was allegedly expended on the Tinapa project, Ranch Resort and Marina Beach Resort, such was said to have been borrowed from local and international finance and investment houses.
Indeed, the questions on the lips of Cross Riverians is simple: “What did the former governor do with the huge deductions routinely made from allocations to the local governments from the federation account?”
The Imoke administration has cried out that its predecessor went on a spending spree by inviting construction giant, Julius Berger, to erect a flag stand at the Eleven Cenotaph grounds which Duke said was “the highest flag in Africa.” The fall-out of this white elephant project, according to a source, is that, “the Imoke government would be hamstrung in carrying out development projects in the state.
Unfortunately, Nigerians who have been short-changed by the former governors were recently disappointed by reports that the President Yar’Adua administration is not favourably disposed to bringing his former colleagues to book.
Last week, the former Katsina helmsman was said to have instructed the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, to step down the tenor of investigations of the former governors.
In a follow up to the President’s directive, last Wednesday, no fewer than 10 former governors met with the commission’s chairman, Ribadu, probably with a view to amicably resolving the various petitions lined up against them.
According to information available to The Source, the meeting held behind closed doors, was largely an interactive session, meant to avail the former state chief executives of the various petitions against them and questions pondering on how they managed public funds in their respective states. The meeting was sequel to the one between President Yar’Adua and the governors, held at the State House on Monday night. The affected governors had upon receiving the EFCC summons sought and had audience with the president. Curiously, President Yar’Adua was also said to have given them assurances, for the upteenth time, that he would not allow his former colleagues to be humiliated by the EFCC. This followed the ex-governor’s apprehension that former President Olusegun Obasanjo had mandated the EFCC to harass them as soon as they leave office.
Although the former governors who met with the EFCC last week were allowed to return home after an interrogation session, sources, however, disclose that they have been instructed to report to the commission at a latter date.
Indications regarding the new disposition of the commission can be gleaned from its statement: “our investigation will follow due process. We are going to employ civil method.” It, however, threatened that any of the ex-governors who failed to respond to the commission’s invitation for interrogation would be declared wanted and a warrant of arrest slammed on them.
Basically, considering the legal procedure in the country which tend to delay justice more than necessary, Nigerians may have to wait for eternity to get justice. The implication of this, however, is that, the new administration in the states will find it difficult to deliver the promised dividends of democracy to the people.