The Governor of Katsina State, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari, has accused his predecessor’s government of awarding contracts without “a single tender or invoice.”
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has declared former Governor Ibrahim Shema wanted, even though the governor had denied any wrongdoing in recent press interviews.
“Throughout the duration of SURE-P,” Masari said in the August edition of The Interview, “they never issued contract. They never purchased from any company. They never issued cheque. All monies in SURE-P were withdrawn in cash.”
SURE-P was a social intervention programme by the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan, under which states were supposed to have spent billions of naira to improve infrastructure.
Masari said a commission of enquiry in Katsina found evidence that Shema was “cashing money in tranches of N9.5m, so that they don’t reach the N10m benchmark.”
He also accused the former governor of mismanaging N72billion local government funds and purchasing 28 cars valued at about N430million on the eve of his departure.
“They have to give account to the people of Katsina,” he said, “we, too, will give our own.”
In the interview, he also spoke about allegations that his government bought goats for N142,000 as social welfare for citizens.
