The Bauchi state Coalition Against Financial Crimes and Injustice (BACAFCI) has reported the former governor of the state, Mohammed Abubakar and his officials to the Economic and Finacial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for committing the state to a supply of fertiliser deal of over N2 billion without formal contract entered.
Chairman of BACAFCI, Alhaji Bibi Dogo, stated this in a statement Monday, alleging that from the record in their possession, on 18 August 2016, the Bauchi State Agricultural Supply Company (BASAC) confirmed that for the 2016 farming season, it received over 73,197 bags of fertiliser from three companies.
“El-Abbas Universal supplied 65,997 bags, that is 109.99 trucks, MBS Merchant supplied 6,600 bags that are 11 trucks and Gabadori Nigeria Limited supply 600 bags only, that is one truck only. But while seeking approval from the former state governor via a memo the then commissioner of agriculture added 99.9 trucks instead of 98.9 trucks, and for El-Abbas universal concept that supplied 109.99 trucks, the memo claimed it was 323.29trucks with over 200 trucks, while for MBBS Merchant Limited the number of trucks was inflated from 11 trucks to 100 trucks and the money inflated was paid.”
He faulted the way the contractors were invited via intent letter just to defraud the state and divert funds without a budget for it or the approval of the procurement bureau and due process office. The memo, which the former governor approved, inflated the price of fertilizer per bag from N6,100 to N7,200 for falsely added trucks.
Dogo said the due process certificate for 2016 approved 400,000 bags of fertiliser for the 2016 season at the cost of N2,813,340,000,00 which when divided at the cost of N6,100 per bag and there was never due process again for the variation and no budget approval by the state assembly for the fake increase.
