CORRUPTION: Gov. Yari Spends N400million To Host Buhari's One Day Visit
Chairman of Governors Forum and Governor of Zamfara State, Mr. Abdulaziz
Yari allegedly collected over N400million from the state coffers without
appropriation by the State House of Assembly to entertain President
Mohammadu Buhari's visit to the state in July, 2016, a state official told
Pointblanknews.com
This is even as Pointblanknews.com is still investigating documents in our
possession detailing Governor Yari's businesses in properties,
transportation and haulage domiciled in Washington DC.
Buhari was in Zamfara state in July 13, 2016 for a one-day visit during
which he launched a special Military Task Force to fight “bandits”.
Zamfara Government sources told Pointblanknews.com that soon as
information got to the Governor of the President's visit, the Permanent
Secretary, Government House, Mr. Sa'aad Farouk was directed to release the
sum of N400million for the one-day visit.
“Please I don't know anything about that, Please, I don't know anything
about it”, Farouk told Pointblanknews.com over the phone.
Gov. Yari neither picked calls to his MTN cell phone nor replied to email
sent to him on the allegations.
But sources within Zamfara Government House confirmed that the Governor, a
very close ally of President Buhari, has been in the habit of collecting
millions from the state coffers on a weekly basis for personal usage,
prompting anger among Government officials who leaked his behavior to the
State Assembly.
The source told Pointblanknews.com that Governor Yari had informed them
that the funds is needed to take care of Security personnel made of the
Army, Navy, Airfoce, Civil Defence, Police, DSS and others who would be
ensuring a safe visit of the President to the State.
“Around July 11 or 12, 2016 the Governor requested for that money and it
was released. That is not the only money he has been collecting. If he is
investigated today, the whole world would be in shock to see how the
resources of the state has been squandered,” the source told
Pointblanknews.com
An officer in the Army Public Relations told Pointblanknews.com that the
Army is not aware of any fund from Zamfara State and did not receive any
money from the State Government during the President's July trip to the
state.
Efforts to reach the Zamfara State Police Commissioner, Mr. Istefanus
Shattima to confirm receipt of any money from the State Government during
the President's visit in July were unsuccessful.
The State Assembly, led by Speaker Sanusi Rikiji had accused the Governor
of squandering state resources. Specifically, the Zamafara House said the
Governor has not been able to account for N1 billion commercial
agriculture loan given to the state by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
The House through its Spokesman, Mannir Gidan accused him of
“non-remittance of pension funds to pension administrators, non-remittance
of 5 percent emirate council funds, the gross misappropriation of bailout
funds to the state by the federal government to settle workers' salaries,
including N10b for 2014 and N1.46b in 2016”.
Another lawmaker, Umaru Faru had told the VOA that everyone knows the
precarious situation that the state has found itself, saying “people
accuse the governor of abandoning the state, and they are also complaining
about the handling of the state resources especially the bailout funds
released specifically to pay workers' salaries”.
“The money came but no one knows what happened to it, as we speak local
government staff, pensioners have not been paid, in fact, our traditional
rulers have not been paid their 5% constitutional allocation for several
months, civil servants pay was cut and some of them were even sacked
because of dwindling revenue, however, they were not paid their
entitlement even after the bailout came.
“That is why we invited them, definitely not for impeachment purposes,” he
said.
Sources told Pointblanknews.com that while the Lawmakers and Zamfara
citizens worry about their dwindling economic fortunes, the Governor moves
state funds to his businesses in Washington DC through cronies where he
also attends Graduate school.
The source hinted that every ten days, the Governor comes to the U.S to
take care of his academics and attend to his businesses.
“The Assembly complained the Governor is an absentee Governor. That is
very correct. I can tell you that while he runs his businesses in the U.S
with Zamfara State funds, he also runs a Master Degree program there and
that is why he hardly stays to do his job as Governor,” said the source
who does not want to be named.
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