The former acting governor of Adamawa State Hon Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri
is said to be swimming in troubled waters following the recent
revelation that over N3.9billion was missing from the state coffers under his acting tenure as the acting governor of the state.
There are strong indications that Fintiri may be investigated over alleged dirty deals by the present administration to expose certain realities associated with his first brief tenure he served as the Deputy Governor when the court earlier ordered the conduct of elections in five states of the federation including Adamawa.
The same Justice Bobbo Commission of inquiry constituted by the state Assembly speaker, Hon. Ahmadu Fintiri was said to have indicted the speaker alongside other PDP bigwigs in the state for alleged financial misappropriations.
Subtle observers were said to have criticized the committee report based on blunders identified in the report and the revelation of the chairman of the committee presented during the presentation of the committee report to Governor Bala James.
The committee had admitted that it could only carry out 40% of the assignment given to them, a declaration that gave rise to suspention and condemnation.
Insetigations revealved that the former secretary of the company had resigned from serving the community based on issue of personal intergrity and morality. He was said to have frowned at the failure of some government’s officials to honour the imitation of the committee to appear before it for a questioning.
The secretary of the committee Mr. Cornelius Nyari was said to have been disturbed by the operation of the committee and its unexplained silence over Fintiri and bello Tukur’s deliberate refusal to appear for questioning. Bello Tukur who was chief of staff of the impeached governor was been fingered in most alleged deals of Nyako’s government.
Many have question the credibility of the Justice Bobbo commission report due to the absence of the identity and signatories of both the old and the new secretary as well as the deliberate replacement of the secretary as well as the deliberate replacement of the secretary.
Governor Bala James Nggilari who was apparently worried by the glaring abnormalities and acts that implies selective justice had distanced himself from the report saying that he does not believe in witch-hunting.
He was reported to have said that the assignment may be compelled to set up another committee to study the half-baked report before further action since the report lacks appropriate ingredients that will stimulate government action.
A social crusader in Adamawa State Malam Ibrahim Medugu has
challenged the Speaker of the State, House of Assembly Hon Ahmadu Umaru
Fintiri to come out clean and prove that he did not embezzled the
state resources valued at N3, 908,255,626 during his tenure as the
acting governor of the state.
Fintiri had submitted a report that during his stay
in office as the Acting Governor of the state that he earned a total of
Twenty One Billion, Four hundred and Six million, three hundred and
forty thousand, Seven hundred and sixty Seven (N21,406,340,767) as
income and expended the sum of(20,698,085,140) leaving the of
(N708,255,623) as surplus in the state coffer for the incoming
Governor.
Medugu observed that Fintiri left a deficit of over (N3.2billion) and
not a surplus as he claimed based on the records available, stressing that figure involved is too great for one to have probably suggested to be a mistake.
Medugu alleged that the state resources were diverted through a
construction company named Mayim construction and property LTM which
had link with the acting governor in purchasing a tea plantation on
Mambilla belonging to S.M. Nguroja Nig .Ltd at a cost of N650million
through Eco bank.
According to him the construction company with registration number RC 695885 is being investigated by
695885 by EFCC on allegations of money laundry.
He specifically cited the purported purchase of prado jeeps valued at N247, 556,478 for the local Government
Chairmen in the state by Hon. Fintiri as one of the many deals and crimes of Finitiri adding that Nyako had already paid for the vehicles.
He also wondered how N75, 767,216 could have been paid for the
electrification of Kirchurga which at that time was firmly under the
grip of insurgents and could not have benefited from the project.
Another grey area identified by Medugu was the renovation of houses
which gulped N279,413,091 wondering which houses were renovated when
all the staff quarters in the state had been sold off.
He also noted that the purported N279million used for
renovation could have built an estate of almost 60 flats at the
ongoing rate of about N5million per flat.
However immediately Fintiri was sacked by Abuja High Court from office
he denied of any mismanagement of the state resources, giving account
of his stewardship, that over N20 billion was spent on projects
Fintiri at a Press Conference held at the House
of Assembly complex shortly after his removal by an Abuja high court explained that he expended over N20 billion on
salaries and projects during his 86 days tenure as Acting Governor.
According to him his three months old administration received a total
income of N21. 4 billion and expended N20. 6 billion and left behind
N708. 2 million.
" Accountability is is one of the most essential virtue of leadership
in and out of office. I therefore, find it necessary to give an
account of my stewardship as the Acting Governor to the people of
Adamawa.
"It is pertinent to state here that the financial position of Adamawa
at the time we came to power was catastrophic.
" The state was heading to total collapse due to high level of
indebtedness. The state owed liquid cash of over N12.8 billion to just
one bank, and for over three years, the state government had been
paying salaries through over draft.
" The state was paying about N100 million monthly as interest on
overdraft, term loan repayment of about N1 billion monthly, and
overdraft repayment of N3.5billion monthly", Fintiri said.
He said his brief administration was able save the state from drowning
in debt by involving the service of professionals who brought about
financial stability.
“Consequently, monthly interest on overdraft drooped to zero naira,
the repayment of term loan also dropped from about N1billion monthly
to N311 million monthly and the repayment of overdraft dropped from
about N3.5 billion monthly to zero naira monthly.
" In addition, my administration saved the interest in debt of N12.8
billion from the usual 22 per cent to 16 per cent, resulting in
saving about N2 billion, besides the over N400 million that was made
from the moratorium period agreed", Fintiri said.
According to Fintiri, the stability being enjoyed by the state as at
now was as a result of his administration is accountability and
transparency in governance which he said made it possible to pay
salaries and salary arrears as well as embark on projects.
However, commenting on the controversial Fintiri tenure as the
acting governor of the state, a APC chieftain in the state, Alh Uba
Dan Arewa said that governor Bala James Nggilari needs to set a panel
to probe Fintiri administration.
He said that since Assembly speakers are not provided by law, the Nggilari administration should be protected by law, the Nggilari administration should investigate and apprehend the speaker if found guilty.
He further accused Fintiri of giving out to only PDP legislators with the exclusion of other law makers from other parties.
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