The Zamfara Sate Government has alerted public attention to the diversion of N10bn appropriated for the construction of a state university under the administration of former governor Abdulazizi Yari.
This was expressed by Commissioner for Finance in the state, Alhaji Rabiu Garba during a press briefing on Tuesday in the state capital, Gusau.
Garba said finance records revealed the fund was appropriated and transferred in two batches but the money was diverted, PM News reported.
“Based on the records available to us, the past administration in the state had diverted the sum of N10.8bn from the N37bn refunded to the state by the Federal Government for the construction of 14 federal roads.
“We learned that in May 2019, N10.8bn was transferred to the university’s projects account by the past administration in the name of construction of state university.
“The amount was transferred in two tranches, that is N5 billion each, and subsequently, N850m was also transferred to the same account on 9th May 2019.
“But instead that the amount transferred to be used for the said project, the money was diverted to other issues that have nothing to do with the university project.”
Reacting to the claim, Alhaji Mukhtar Idris, Commissioner during Yari’s tenure debunked the allegation, claiming it was politically motivated.
According to Idris, Yari’s administration setup a special account for the university project.
He added that the present government should verify claims before making unsubstantiated allegations in public.
“Out of the money claimed by the current Commissioner for Finance, Rabiu Garba, about N4bn was left in the account and they are part of the money inherited by the present administration.
“Let the present administration explain the multibillion-naira capital projects executed in the university, Talata-Mafara, before going to the media for unclarified claims,” he said.