The Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, who is currently engaged in a war of words with his predecessor, Mohammed Abubakar, over the state’s finance, today revealed how the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prevented his predecessor from using his cronies to steal over N11 billion a few days to his exit.
Mohammed made the claim in a statement by his spokesman, Ladan Salihu, yesterday in Bauchi.
The former governor however claimed that he left N11.6bn in the state government’s account.
The former governor, in a statement made available to journalists on Sunday in Bauchi by his media aide, Ali Ali, debunked an earlier claim by the new administration that it inherited N137bn debt from his government.
He said he only left N34.6bn loan.
He described the claim credited to the Chairman of the Transition Committee, Adamu Gumba, as a “factually incorrect statement.”
But the state government disagreed with the former governor.
The governor’s spokesman said 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 the state, but the former governor gave a directive that all the money be spent few hours to handover.
He said it took the intervention of the EFCC to ensure the former governor’s directive was not carried out.
See copy of the government’s statement below:
The Sunday’s statement by the former governor however reads, “The state government under M. A Abubakar left N11.6bn in the state government’s account, being refund of projects undertaken on behalf of the Federal Government in the state.
“Before its tenure ended on May 29, the government of Abubakar ensured that the refund was effected despite the machinations of detractors, some of whom are very visible now.
“At no time was the government of M. A Abubakar a spendthrift or engaged in frivolities in the management of very lean resources.”
He added, “Throughout the four-year tenure of the former leader, the government didn’t take a single commercial loan.
“We however acknowledge the receipts of various intervention loans from the Federal Government that totalled N34.6bn.”
