Collapsed infrastructure (III): Bukola Saraki’s Role in Kwara’s Rot Like the stories of past government administrations in Kwara State, which entails abandoned projects and huge debt left behind for their succcessors, Dr. Bukola Saraki, the immediate past Governor of Kwara state has left not only abandoned projects, but huge debt impoverishing the state. The immediate governor has also continued to jump from one controversial investigations to the other without being nailed since he left government in May 29, 2011. This time, he is being probed for alleged mismanagement of defunct Society Generale Bank of Nigeria (SGBN), federal allocations to Kwara State when he was the Governor and N17 billion bond he sought for at the Security Market for capital projects in the state. It would be recalled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) invited Dr. Saraki for questioning on allegedly mismanagement of these funds just as he is having political cold war with President Goodluck Jonathan’s camp in Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). To many critics of Dr. Saraki, even though the time of investigation seems inauspicious because of the seething political environment, he had mismanaged the State and its economy to his personal benefits. This much was demonstrated when Chief Iyiola Akogun, a former Commissioner in Kwara State and a petitioner to EFCC during and after Saraki’s administration, in a statement issued to our Correspondent, said the exact debt profile of Kwara remains the exclusive knowledge of Peoples Democratic Party powerbrokers, no thanks to the administration of former Governor Bukola Saraki, which, perhaps for the first time in our country, refused to give any handover note. “Apart from the undisclosed debt profile, the Kwara people, through this administration, are currently servicing the repayment of N17 billion bonds the Saraki administration raised in the guise of providing infrastructure. For the record, the Bukola administration claimed to have obtained the bond to execute the following projects within a period of two years beginning from 2009: Kwara State Truck Plaza; International Aviation College; Asa Dam Mixed Use Development; New Secretariat; Commercial Agriculture Phase II; KWASU; Ilorin Water Distribution project; and Kwara Advanced Diagnostic Centre. Of these eight projects, the PDP government said it wanted to execute in two years (2009-2011) with the N17b obtained in the name of our people, only three (KWASU, Aviation College and the Diagnostic Centre) can be said to have been executed – and half way too. To whose pocket has this huge sum gone, whilst public fund is being used to repay the bond? “As if that was not enough, another N1.2b loan not approved by the legislature was taken by the PDP government in the run-up to the 2011 poll. The new N10b from GTB has already been included in the 2012 budget even before seeking the prior approval of the House of Assembly; so the House was railroaded into approving it when lawmakers discovered the amount during budget approval discussion. The repayment period is said to be 42 months at the rate of 15 per cent interest. The new loan, tagged legacy and continuity loan, is, in the words of the PDP government, for the completion of the same set of projects which President Goodluck Jonathan had commissioned, and for completion of some road projects and Ilorin Urban System for which billions of naira had been sunk during the Bukola regime . “The people of Kwara cannot be subsiding irresponsible and unaccounted borrowings for which commensurate benefits have not been received by the people. Whilst the act of the borrowing is always known, the spending of the money borrowed has always been shrouded in secrecy.” Akogun who reject the claims in some quarters that Saraki was being victimised by Presidency and his political enemies in PDP said if he did not soil his hands in dirty deals, there was no channel his perceived enemies could get to him. He argued further that any time he went to EFCC to tender both oral and documentary evidences against Saraki’s alleged corrupt administration, information would have been leaked to Saraki on who came to the Commission to report him, before he returned to Ilorin. “ What I knew about Bukola Saraki is that he has dirty hands and pretends to the whole world that he is innocent. He is not victimised. I am not saying that there is no Obasanjo’s EFCC or Jonathan’s EFCC which are victimising their political enemies. But Saraki’s case is different. He claims that he is being persecuted because he exposed oil subsidy thieves. He can’t expose thieves while he is also not a clean man”. Reacting to Saraki’s interrogation by EFCC, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of History, Faculty of Art, University of Ilorin, Dr Saad Y Omoiya said in an exclusive interview with our Correspondent that the Saraki administration in Kwara State was unfortunate, noting that he warned the Kwara state House of Assembly from approving N17 billion bond sent to the House by Dr. Saraki because it was a means to siphon people’s money. The Historian said he told the legislators during the public hearing on the bond that as a former staff of Aviation College in Zaria, Kaduna state, he observed that the College did not operate to its full capacity since its creation. Omoiya added that the lawmakers were forewarned that the bond was a means to steal government money, saying that no State in Nigeria started a Cement factory that had not closed down. “I warned those in the house that if they approved that bond, posterity will not forgive them. I went further to tell them that Bukola and his family don’t have any property in Ilorin. They don’t even have any relations that are living in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. That if there is any problem on this bond, Kwara’s younger generation will revolt against them.” The Historian wondered why an indigent, civil service state government which depends on federal allocation, would go for such loan and therefore, the former governor ought to have prosecuted and sent to jail immediately he left office. “Like Rev. Samuel Johnson defined the fall of Oyo Empire”, he said, “when the cup of inequity was full, God’s punishment now rain on the people. It is Bukola’s cup of inequity that is getting full. Whatever he says, there should be thorough investigation. If he claims to have borrowed money, they should ask him what he did with federal allocations in his eight years of misrule. He should provide answers to how he spent Local government Allocations as well as State allocations.” Dr Omoiya added that during Saraki’s tenure, he “behaved as if there is no tomorrow, he behaved as if he is representing God”. “He behaved with impunity. He behaved recklessly and God did not favour him. He is arrogant; he saw Kwara State more or less as his inheritance. But people of Kwara State are not all fools. Our people have shown him that they are beyond being inheritance. The only advantage he and his father enjoy was that federal structures imposed their family on Kwara State. The Federal Structures use Police, INEC to pronounce election results for them. When his father left the ruling party and operated on the platform of ACPN, what did he score? He didn’t win a single seat. It is clear evidence that they are nothing.” The Senior Lecturer who questioned the output of Shonga Farm allegedly owned by the Kwara State government and the private sector, asked Bukola Saraki to account for the loan given to the Zimbabwean farmers. Dr Omoiya also want the federal government and it agencies to stop shielding Dr. Saraki and other politicians and public office holders under investigation so that the nation can be sanitised the nation of corruption. Similarly, while speaking with our correspondent, a former Chairman of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Barrister Salman Jawondo, described the investigation of the embattled Senator as long overdue. Jawondo noted that the Shopping Mall popularly known as Shoprite are allegedly owned by three people; Taiwo Amusan, Chukwuka and one Messrs Guru. The legal practitioner recalled that the International Vocational Centre sited at Ajase-Ipo was not commenced by Dr. Saraki but rather, started by Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed. Jawondo said the Vocational Centre land was long approved by the Traditional Ruler of of Ajase-Ipo, but that the Saraki’s administration did nothing on the land until federal government showed up to inspect the site after it had released counterpart funds. According to him, the Monarch was surprised that since the land was allocated to the state, and federal government had released the fund, the state government did not commence construction of the Centre. The legal practitioner, who faulted the water project allegedly embarked by Saraki’s administration, said the project was co- funded by federal and state Governments but the fund was allegedly was diverted. “I was the Special Assistant to Sen. Salman when the water reticulation started. It was part of the constituency projects. While N500 million was allocated for Sen. Salman constituency projects, the Senator allocated N250 million to the water reticulation before he left office. “The money was increased to N1.6billion. In fact, it was River Niger Basin Authority that was handling the project. The state also contributed the money. Now, he is claiming that he used part of N17 billion bonds for water reticulation. Where is the water, where is the money?” On Kwara Advance Diagnostic Centre, Barrister Jawondo said despite the building of the Centre, it was not owned by Kwara State while the multimillion Herald Newspaper head Office building was demolished by Saraki’s administration. Barrister Jawondo faulted Agriculture Projects, Shonga Farm, street light claimed to have been done by Saraki’s administration through N17 billion bonds. On Street light, Jawondo questioned N1.2 billion Saraki claimed he spent on New Yidi road to Asa Dam road saying “even if we are to construct street lights from Nigeria to Ghana, we cannot spend N1billion.” Speaking on the management of the International Aviation College, Barrister Jawondo said the place was not meant to stable because the Speaker, Barrister Abdurasak Atunwa, who is the Alternate Chairman and one time Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance are signatory to the College accounts stressing that the Staff could only suggest the amount they needed but would not know the actual amount allocated to the College. Similarly, Jawondo alleged that the Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (Sure-P) money due to the State since March 2012 is not distributed as designed by federal government to appropriate quarters. “The money are sent to Local and State governments, there is a local government in this State that was given N2 million twice out of N5 million meant for them. Now, they are not giving them anything again. These Local Governments would ask about the money, but were told that they are keeping it for them.” Jawondo concluded that Dr Bukola Saraki is not victimized by his perceived political enemies, urging the EFCC to do a thorough job by prosecuting him to a logical conclusion. “If you are saying that they are persecuting you, why did you allow your enemies to persecute you? Why did you commit certain things they can use to persecute you? Nobody is persecuting Bukola Saraki, it is the deeds of Bukola that are persecuting him. “If you have access to EFCC, you will discover that many people have written to the EFCC reminding them about Bukola’s case. But because he has many people in power, these petitions did not see the light of the day”. However, Senator Bukola Saraki has said that his current political travails was connected to the political crisis in the ruling PDP. The Senator also stated that he would not be surprised if another anti- graft agency invites him for questioning soon. Speaking with journalists in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, he explained that the factional members of the PDP were not waging any personal war against President Goodluck Jonathan. “This issue is not in any way personal. It is not against anybody. These are the issues that border on the future of this country which was created and developed many years ago with this democracy. There must be a terrain to discuss. This perception that some people are against the president is wrong; or that if it’s former President Obasanjo that’s in power, it won’t happen. The people who say this do not mean well for this country. It is not whether Mr President is strong or weak. If Obasanjo comes back now, same issues will still be fought for”. On his invitation by the EFCC in relation to the bond issue, he said he was not asked to bring more documents on the matter, adding that he had cleared all issues on the N17 billion bonds to the anti- graft agency. He said the state government went through stringent and rigorous measures to get the bond, adding that Kwara State government was the first state. On the withdrawal of his security personnel, Senator Saraki said the issue would be resolved, adding that the issue should not be personalized, trivialised or personalised since it is a legal matter. The EFCC has also denied embarking on political war against those opposed to “the powers that be.” The EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, made the clarification in Abuja at a workshop on Economic Crimes Reporting for journalists. He said that the notion that the agency had been going after those out of favour with the powers that be, is the creation of the media. “Even in the midst of contrary evidence, a section of the press has been so swayed by this stereotype that they are unwilling to shift to their gaze. Our activities won’t be determined by who does what with government. We are not going to be drawn into political issues. We are doing our job and we will continue to do our job. We want the understanding of the journalists”. Explaining why the commission was withholding information on some of its activities, Lamorde said sometime people were invited just to confirm certain facts and not because they had been found guilty. He said, “If at the early stage of investigation it is just to confirm certain facts, we don’t want to give it publicity until we are sure. Anybody can be invited for questioning. “At times, publicity affects the direction of investigation and the main investigation itself. Maybe it is this individual information that you want to use to get to other level of investigation. Once it is mentioned, other people are alerted. You know in Nigeria, somebody can set this building ablaze because he wants to cover up his track, records can be destroyed; people can even be killed. “So many things could happen. We are not saying we don’t want to give this information; it is a question of trust. I don’t think there is a deliberate effort on our part not to release information.” Lamorde regretted that individuals who had been indicted by previous administration or declared not fit for public office, still found their ways back to government because nobody remembered or investigated their past. Nevertheless, as Dr Bukola Saraki continues to pass through different hurdles of prosecution, it is believed that he may escape Nigeria’s prosecution just like James Ibori, Dieprieye Alamieyeseigha and other former governors unless strikes.
Posted on: Sat, 05 Apr 2014 17:48:12 +0000
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