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Tag: Kogi govt

  • Kogi govt debunks alleged diversion of LG funds

    Kogi govt debunks alleged diversion of LG funds

    The Kogi state government has debunked the alleged diversion of Local Government funds in the state.

    The State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, described the allegations as untrue, politically motivated, and deliberately orchestrated to mislead the public.

    A coalition of civil society organisations recently called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the alleged misappropriation of over N21 billion in federal allocations meant for five local government areas in Kogi State.

    Reacting to the claim at a press conference in Abuja, Fanwo stated that local government autonomy is real, functional, and fully upheld in Kogi State.

    He explained that in line with constitutional provisions, all Local Government councils receive their allocations, adding that the councils determine their expenditure, award contracts, process payroll, and implement development programmes independently.

    Fanwo, while stating that the Governor of Kogi State does not tamper with Local Government funds, added that the administration’s role was limited strictly to coordination and capacity support where required.

    He said, “Ordinarily, such baseless propaganda would not deserve a response. But as we all know, when lies go unchallenged, they begin to look like the truth. Silence can unintentionally empower misinformation. Because we are a government committed to transparency, accountability, and the right of our citizens to accurate information, it is important to set the record straight and expose the intentions behind these allegations.

    “What is unfolding is not activism for accountability; it is a coordinated campaign aimed at dragging the name of the Governor of Kogi State and indeed the Government of Kogi State into fabricated claims. The petitioners are determined to create the false impression that the State Government interferes with Local Government finances. This is entirely untrue and contradicts every documented financial and administrative process in Kogi State.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, all 21 Local Government councils publish their financial statements on the official government website. These records are accessible to journalists, civil society organisations, development partners, the opposition, and the general public. Transparency is not a slogan here; it is a routine practice. We challenge the petitioners to name any state in Nigeria with a more transparent Local Government financial reporting system”.

    He stated that the State government remains committed to various development projects ongoing in the state.

    “This government remains focused on the work that matters: infrastructure, security, prompt payment of salaries and pensions, rural development, education, healthcare, job creation, and improving the quality of life for all. Our President, Bola Tinubu, has given us more resources to serve our people. We will not disappoint him, we will not disappoint the good people of Kogi State.

    “To the great people of Kogi State, your government is working, your Local Governments are functioning independently, and your resources are being used for development, not for politicians or their hired agents. Lies will not stand against the weight of truth.

    Also speaking, the Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in the state, Tosin Olokun, said the state does not tamper with allocations and the revenue generated internally. 

    He said that apart from payment of salaries and pensions to staff and retirees at 100 percent, the LGs have started defraying gratuities that were abandoned for many years.

    On some projects undertaken by the LGAs, Olokun said: “We have been making rural roads accessible as well as renovating, remodelling, as well as building new Primary Healthcare Centres and clinics to attend to the healthcare of our people at the grassroots. We have built quarters for health workers in those Primary Healthcare Centres, provided solar-powered water, and also solar power for running the Centres. The Federal Government and the State Government are building theirs, while we are also building ours. 

    “Recently, each of the Local Government Councils trained 110 youth on CNG Conversion, and we are already on the procurement processes to buy all their working tools to make them independent and become job creators rather than job seekers. 

    The 21 Local Government Councils have recruited thousands of hunters, trained them and equipped them with the right logistics to fight crime in their localities. We have also bought security vehicles and motorcycles to help their mobility”.  

  • Audu urges Kogi govt to intensify security efforts 

    Audu urges Kogi govt to intensify security efforts 

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Muritala Audu, has called on the Kogi government to double its efforts in ensuring the security of lives and properties in the state. 

    Audu, the Aare Oodua and Oyine of Ihima, said that the call becomes imperative to address the alarming rate of attacks and abductions in various Kogi communities.

    According to him, there is the need to engage all necessary security operatives in collaboration with local vigilantes and hunters to protect the citizens from the ongoing security challenges.

    Audu, who commended Gov. Usman Ododo-led government for its efforts in areas such as infrastructure, agriculture, health, and education, said that strategic measures must be deploy to curb security challenges.

    He said: “More needs to be done in the area of security to curb the rising incidents of attacks and abductions in the state with much effect on Kogi West Senatorial District.

    “The detrimental impact of the security issues on the livelihoods of the residents is high.

    “Farmers are now afraid to go to their farms for fear of being kidnapped.

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    “If the security challenges are not effectively addressed, they could overshadow the progress made in other sectors and discredit the government’s efforts to improve the quality of life for the people of Kogi State.”

    Audu urged the Kogi government to prioritise security measures and allocate the necessary resources to combat the prevailing security threats in the state.

    He emphasised the need for proactive strategies and collaborative efforts between security agencies and local stakeholders to ensure the safety and well-being of the residents.

    “As the call for improved security measures gains momentum, stakeholders are hopeful that the government will heed this advice and take decisive action to address the security challenges facing Kogi State. 

    “Only time will tell if the government will rise to the occasion and fulfill its duty to protect the lives and properties of its citizens,” he added.

  • No transfer of fees from Kogi Govt, LGAs to AISA account – EFCC witness 

    No transfer of fees from Kogi Govt, LGAs to AISA account – EFCC witness 

    The EFCC’s witness, Mr Nicholas Ojehomon, on Thursday said there was no transfer of funds from the account of Kogi government to American International School, Abuja (AISA)’s account for payment of former Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi’s children’s school fees.

    Ojehomon, an Internal Auditor in AISA and the  3rd prosecution witness (PW-3) in the ongoing alleged money laundering trial of Bello told Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

    The witness, while being cross examined by counsel to the ex-governor, Joseph Daudu, SAN, on the AISA’s bank statement marked as Exhibit 16, also said that neither the names of any of the local governments in the state nor Yahaya Bello’s name appeared in the exhibit.

    “Look at the fund column by column, it seems it does have the names of who wired money into the account ?” Daudu asked.

    “Yes it does,” the witness responded.

    “if you check the entire statement, is there any wired transfer coming from the Kogi State government ?” the lawyer asked.

    “No  there is no such name,” the witness responded.

    “What of any local government from Kogi State?” the lawyer asked, and Ojehomon answered in the negative.

    “What of the name, Alhaji Yahaya Bello? Is there any direct transfer bearing the name, Yahaya Bello on the face of the document?” Daudu also asked.

    “No, there is no name like Yahaya Bello in the statement,” the witness responded.

    When Daudu asked the PW-3 if other parents pay money into the account as school fees, the witness said: “Yes, I confirm other parents pay into the account.”

    The internal auditor also admitted that the names of those parents reflect in the statement of account.

     Earlier, Justice Nwite had, in a ruling rejected the EFCC’s objection to former Gov. Bello’s bid to tender an earlier court judgment in the trial.

    The judge held that the EFCC’s objection was preemptive.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the former governor, through his counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, had on the last adjourned date sought to tender an FCT High Court judgment in suit number: FCT/HC/CV/2574/2023, between Mr Ali Bello and Incorporated Trustees of American International School.

    The development occured after the EFCC called Ojehomon, the internal auditor of the school, as its PW-3.

    However, the commission ‘s lawyer, Kemi Pinhero, SAN, opposed the admissibility of the document, arguing that the prosecution was yet to close its case.

    But Daudu disagreed with Pinhero’s submission.

    The defence lawyer argued that the instant document, which is a judgment of another court, was relevant in the case at hand.

    Justice Nwite, in the ruling, held that the admissibility of documents is strictly guided by law as far as it satisfies the provision of Sections 102 and 104 of the Evidence Act.

    The judge listed the parameters to be considered to include “whether the facts are pleaded, whether the documents are relevant and whether the documents are admissible.”

    He said it was indeed glaring that the document sought to be tender in the case of Ali Bello Vs AISA was relevant to the fact in issue.

    He said the same document was a certified true copy of a judgment of FCT HIGh instituted by one Ali Bello.

    He said the court was inclined to agree with the counsel to the ex-governor, Joseph Daudu, SAN, that the argument of the anti-graft agency’s lawyer, Kemi Pinhero, SAN, was preemitive.

    According to the judge, moreover, the court has since moved away from the platform of technicalities to the platform of substantial justice.

    “Consequently, the argument of the prosecution that the defence cannot present the document is hereby discountenance

    “Having said that, the objection of the prosecution is indeed preemitive, consequently, the objection of the learner counsel to the prosecution is hereby overruled,” he ruled.

    Justice Nwite therefore admitted the document in evidence and marked as Exhibit 19.

    Upon resumed trial, the witness told the court that he had worked for eight years in the school and was employed as an internal auditor.

    When he was given Exhibit 19 (the FCT Court judgment), and asked to read out parts of the judgment, lawyer who appeared for EFCC on Thursday, Olukayode Enitan, SAN, objected.

    “The witness has already been shown the exhibit admitted as evidence.

    “Anything that needs to be done with the judgment is not within his opinion. That is for those of us here because the witness is not a legal expert.

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    “Let us save time by not asking the witness this,” he said.

    “I am not asking for the witness’ opinion. I am speaking to the document just the same way they did,” Daudu responded.

    The EFCC lawyer said the difference between the document and the ones they had tendered “is that those documents are not judgments of the court.”

    “But it has been tendered and admitted by the court. I should be allowed to conduct my case the way I like.

    “My lord, what I am saying is that I should be allowed to conduct my case because it may be devastating to my case if I am not allowed to,” Daudu said and the judge gave him the go-ahead.

    Daudu then asked Ojehomon to read out Pages 1, 14 and 15 of Exhibit 19 which is the FCT High Court judgment.

    Part of the content in the judgement said that there was no court order for the school to return the money (school fees) to EFCC or any judgment declaring the money as proceeds of money laundering.

    The judgment also said AISA ought not to have paid the money to EFCC, that AISA cannot pay the EFCC or any other person monies paid under the future fee agreement without an order of the court.

    In addition, the judgment held that AISA had a binding contract with the Bello family on future fee payments of school fees of children in the school and they cannot derogate therefrom.

    Justice Nwite, subsequently, adjourned the matter until May 9 for continuation of trial.(NAN)

  • Alleged N46bn withdrawal: Kogi Govt has nothing to hide, says commissioner

    Alleged N46bn withdrawal: Kogi Govt has nothing to hide, says commissioner

    The Kogi Government says it has nothing to hide following the invitation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of two of its officials over alleged cash withdrawals of N46 billion.

    The two officials invited by the EFCC are Abdulsalamu Hudu and Umar Shuaibu-Oricha.

    In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information, Mr Kingsley Fanwo, on Monday in Lokoja, Hudu and Shuaibu-Oricha were ordered to be arrested by a Federal High Court.

    The court gave the order to ensure that the two men answer criminal allegations related to alleged withdrawal of N46bn from the Kogi government bank accounts, among other accusations.

    The order was granted by Justice Emeka Nwite in a motion ex parte filed by EFCC and marked as suit number: FHC/ABJ/CS/909/2024.

    Read Also: Kogi govt to EFCC: our money not missing

    The case is said to be one of the latest litigations by the EFCC against several Kogi government officials and associates.

    The commissioner said,: “the government of Kogi has nothing to hide and will always open her books to lawful investigations.

    “We hope that the EFCC will respond to the patriotic action of the officials by remaining professional in conducting their investigations.

    “As a government, we are always prepared to cooperate with anti-graft agencies to prove our transparency and retain the confidence of our development partners, who have consistently given us awards in recognition of our unflinching transparency, accountability and probity.” (NAN)

  • Coal miners laud Kogi govt, others for curbing illegal miners

    Coal miners laud Kogi govt, others for curbing illegal miners

    Licensed coal miners in Kogi State have praised the swift response of the state government and the security services in curbing the activities of illegal miners in the state.

    In a statement signed by promoters of three mining firms- Dr. Innocent Ezuma, Executive Chairman, Etazuma Mining and Industries Limited, Parthia Ghosh, Managing Director, Kohl’s Energy Limited and Dr. Ramos, Managing Director, Mosra Energy Limited, they called on other states and security agencies to also take up the fight against illegal mining and economic sabotage in the best interest of the economy and security of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “We, the licensed and legal Coal Miners in Kogi State ,hereby issue this statement to express our support for, and earnest appreciation to the President of the Federal Government of Nigeria, Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Minster of Solid Mineral Development, Dr. Dele Alake, the Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Adiza Bello and the security agencies, especially the Deprtment of State Services, Kogi State Command, which is coordinating the operation for taking up the fight against  economic saboteurs who have  the tendency to breed terrorism for leaving no stone unturned to stop the menace of illegal mining with its negative impact on the economy and security of the country.’’

    “We sincerely hope that the fight will be sustained to the full eradication of illegal mining activities not only in the coal mining sector but in all aspects of mining in Nigeria,” they stated.

    Their commendation followed the steps taken following the announcement by Alake of a ban on illegal mining activities by the Federal Government.

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    The statement said on 18 December 2023, Kogi State Government sprang into action with a corresponding enforcement action by setting up a Joint Taskforce comprising Police, NSCDC, The State Security Service, Federal Mines Office, Kogi State, State Ministry of Solid Minerals and natural Resources and Kogi State Vigilante Service (KSVS).

    They said between 18 December 2023 and 7 January 2024, a total of 21 trucks loaded with coal, amounting to 945 tons, “being products of illegal mining were impounded,” adding on 8 January 2024, an application was filed before the Federal High Court, Lokoja seeking an Order of forfeiture of the 945 tons of coal to the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.

    Court documents sighted by The Nation showed that on 18 January 2024, the Federal High Court presided over by Hon. Justice Abdul DOGO granted an interim forfeiture Order for the 945 tons of coal to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

    The Court directed that, the Notice of Order be pasted in public places including Federal High Court, State High Court and various mining sites in Ankpa LGA, where the products were impounded for any interested person to show cause why the Order should not be made absolute/final.

    The pasting/publication should be done within seven (7) days after the date of this Order, while the return date for the final Order is 1 February 2024.

     According to the statement, the Applicant should file affidavit of compliance with pictures to prove the publication.

  • Dino Melaye, police and Kogi Govt

    LAST week’s tumultuous event of arrest, transportation, escape and re-arrest of Dino Melaye (APC Sen–Kogi West), is more likely to continue to meet with derision than the sober reflection it calls for in the light of the declining observance of the rule of law and mounting impunity in Nigeria. Sen Melaye, one of the most vocal and visible senators of the 8th Senate, has had a running battle with the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, over sundry issues ranging from political disagreements to the excesses of the governor. The sequence of events culminated in the determination of the police to transport Sen Melaye to Kogi State, not to arraign him in court, for the case had been transferred to Abuja and he cannot be arraigned twice for the same offence, but to parade him with his alleged co-conspirators in what the police suggested was a case of gunrunning and plotting of assassinations.

    What made the drama more engrossing was not merely the fact of his status as a senator, which the police have treated most contemptuously in their presumed determination to make everybody equal before the law, but the length to which the law enforcement agency was willing to go, and the depth its officers were willing to sink, to gratify the tyrannical pleasures of the youthful but vacuous Kogi governor. Sen Melaye is facing a recall process obscenely and unusually enthusiastically midwifed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), but inspired undoubtedly by Mr Bello to rid Kogi of the peskiness of the grumbling senator, probably the only recognised and visible opposition to the do-nothing government in Lokoja. The recall is supposedly anchored on the frustrations of the Kogi West electorate who were reported to be embarrassed by the jesting and buffoonery of the senator as exemplified by his many musical skits, raucous displays at Senate plenaries, and general uncouthness.

    In reality, however, Sen Melaye’s oppositional posturing and direct attacks had begun to grate on the nerves of Mr Bello, a governor labouring futilely under the yoke of his own lassitude and incompetence. Since he has managed to worm his way into some influence in Aso Villa and insinuated himself into the confidence of highly placed individuals in the same powerful precincts, Mr Bello has been able rather easily to put reins on the police and turn them every which way. When Sen Melaye’s alleged co-conspirators in the gunrunning saga broke jail late March, the state police commissioner, Ali Janga, was redeployed. But Mr Bello allegedly stood against his replacement, Sunday Ogbu. Dramatically, the fleeing suspects were intercepted days later, and Mr Janga was reinstated. The case itself, which Interpol had spurned with fitting contempt, describing it as politicised and undeserving of their attention, is shrouded in deliberate malfeasance.

    Worse, the recall process, which was at first entangled in a legal maze, is perhaps the most brazen effort in Nigerian history to thwart the will of the electorate, abuse the democratic process, and recast Kogi State in the most atrocious and execrable light. Whole communities and neighbourhoods were invested with fictitious names and signatures, and a spurious verification campaign undertaken to arrive at a preconceived goal. A resident in one of those neighbourhoods made a representation to this newspaper, indicating that their names and forged signatures appeared on the list without their consent. Mercifully, Kogi West voters have also spurned the verification exercise and repudiated the recall process, an indirect plebiscite on the loathed and unpopular governor. But tyranny is afoot in Kogi; and with the legislature inoculated against reason and courage, and the federal authorities pretending to observe the principles of federalism in their impassive connivance, there is no telling what the conspirators in Kogi can do.

    The legal case against Sen Melaye is clear, but it was billed to be heard in Abuja. The Senate, which has invited the pliant Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, might wish to know from him just what contempt he harboured against the Senate as an institution, and against Sen Melaye as a citizen deserving of fair treatment before he is convicted. They might also wish to know why he has sought to place the whole police establishment under the cruel, humiliating and treacherous whims of the Kogi governor. The Senate might wish, in addition, to invite the INEC boss a little later, regarding his work in Kogi West, to answer a few puzzling questions , for the anomalies and falsehood observed in the execution of the recall process are too obvious to be left in the hands of manipulators. The INEC boss should explain why those who submitted the petition with forged names and signatures should not be prosecuted, for after all, the authors of the petition are well known.

    It is tempting to dismiss Sen Melaye as simply being hoist with his own petard, and because of his theatrics, foul language and consistent buffoonery, see him as deserving of the adversity stripping him of whatever is left of his reputation and status as a senator of the Federal Republic. But that would be short-sighted. The senator may be unloved, but the constitution guarantees that he must be treated justly. What is more, though his constituents deplore his manners and would have loved to give him a piece of their resolute minds in the next elections, they did not instigate the recall process, and are clear who between the jester in Abuja and the tyrant in Lokoja they would wish to electorally destroy first. Sen Melaye’s melodrama hurts only the image of Kogi, and Kogi West senatorial district in particular; but Mr Bello’s savage leadership style, incompetence, and total disregard for the people’s welfare hurt their entire being and rob them of their dignity. There is no question who they loathe; nor is there any doubt in their minds who the troubler of the state is and who concocted the crises and controversies disabling Kogi.

  • ‘Kogi govt didn’t order attack on Assembly’

    Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has denied ordering the attack on members of the House of Assembly.

    His media aide, Kingsley Fanwo, said the government condemned the act, carried out by suspected hoodlums. According to him, those accusing the government of spearheading the attack are economical with the truth.

    Fanwo, on a political discourse on Channels Television, said: “What happened is unfortunate and we condemned it immediately. Those who said the government orchestrated it are far from the truth.

    “The allegation, that the governor is the one disturbing the peace of the House of Assembly, is unfounded and untrue.”

    The spokesman said the government had lived up to its statutory obligation by paying salaries promptly, noting that the local government had financial autonomy and were not hindered from performing.

    “Kogi State has been paying salaries as at when due. This we have been doing when we got the Paris Club refund. I must say the government is responding favourably to salary issues,” he added.

    He explained that the crisis was because the governor is fighting corruption,  a situation not palatable for those affected.

    “We are products of good home; the governor is having these battles because he is fighting corruption. We shall continue to do our best to govern the people well,” he said.

    Fanwo maintained that criminals working against the peace of the state have been arrested and would face the law accordingly.

    Following Tuesday’s invasion of the House of Assembly, security has been tightened around the house of the Speaker, Imam Umar.

    Stern-looking policemen were stationed on his Mount Patti Road residence.

    About 100 thugs attacked the House of Assembly on Tuesday, just before the start of plenary. They assaulted lawmakers while security men attached to the complex looked on helplessly.

    Friday Sani (Igalamela-Odolu), billed to resume after a six-month suspension, appeared to be the target as he was stripped. His aides were also attacked.

    Sani was one of the arrowheads of the G5-members who installed Umar as speaker, in replacement of Lawal Momoh-Jimoh

    Efforts to reach police authorities were unsuccessful.

  • Saraki, Ekweremadu attack Kogi govt over Melaye recall

    Saraki, Ekweremadu attack Kogi govt over Melaye recall

    Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, yesterday attacked the Kogi State government for backing the moves to recall Senator Dino Melaye.

    They were reacting to the advertorial placed in newspapers by Kogi State Attorney General and Justice Commissioner Ibrahim Sanni Mohammed.

    Mohammed was responding to Ekweremadu’s submission last week that Melaye’s recall process was an exercise in futility and made in bad faith.

    The Attorney General said among others in the advertorial that: “I must put on record that contrary to the legal opinion of Senator Ekweremadu on the role of the Senate in the recall process, the Senate has no role whatsoever in the recall exercise than to receive the Certificate under the hand of the Chairman of INEC stating that the provisions 69 of the Constitution have been complied with: See Sections 68(h) and 69 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).”

    Muhammed added: “Indeed by the provisions of the INEC regulations for the recall of a legislator, a legislator stands recalled upon INEC’s confirmation of a majority vote in favour of the recall.”

    But Ekweremadu, who came under Order 43 (personal explanation) of the Senate standing rule, insisted that the Muhammed was ill-informed and should have advised those behind the recall process how near impossible it is to recall a member of the National Assembly.

    He noted that contrary to the position of the Kogi chief law officer, the Senate has a major role to play in the recall of a senator and in fact final say in the recall process.

    “I urge them to apply their time to more useful venture in view of the strenuous nature of the recall process and I said the AG may not have advised them properly.

    “I understand that every page (of the advert) costs about 700,000 and five other papers carried the advert and we are talking of about N12 million of Kogi money sent.

    ”Indeed by the provisions of the INEC regulation for the recall of a legislator, a legislator stands recalled upon INEC’s confirmation of a majority vote in favour of the recall.

    “He is saying that the Senate has no role. I stand by what I said the other day and I would like to take him to Section 68(1H) and (2) show the role of the Senate, which he says has no role.

    “Section 68(1H) reads: ‘The President of the Senate or, as the case may be, the Speaker of the House of Representatives receives a certificate under the hand of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission stating that the provisions of section 69 of this Constitution have been complied with in respect of the recall of that member’.

    “That was the section the Attorney General was referring to but he mischievously refused to state the provisions of section 2 or probably out of Ignorance, he did not put Section 68(2) which states: ‘The President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Representatives, as the case may be, shall give effect to the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, so however that the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Representatives or a member shall first present evidence satisfactory to the House concerned that any of the provisions of that subsection has become applicable in respect of that member.”

    ”So, I call on the Kogi House of Assembly to institute an inquiry on who paid for this and find a way of getting the money back to pay the salaries of the people of Kogi State

    “Kogi should constitute an enquiry to know who paid the money.”

    The Senate President, who did not allow any debate on the issue, concurred with Ekweremadu.

    Saraki said: “Even those of us who only have association with the legal profession by being married to one but we have learnt over the years to know that this is straight-forward.

    “What is even more disturbing and irresponsible is how you can spend N10 million on adverts.  I have been a governor, when you file money for advert, it is a difficult issue.

    ”As you said, it is very unfortunate for the people of Kogi State.”

  • Kogi govt, workers tangle over N500m WASSCE fees

    The claim that a cabal may be defrauding Kogi State government of millions of naira meant for payment of West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) fees may be false, according to workers in the ministry of education.

    The government stopped payment of the fees last month, claiming that the steep increase from N270 million in 2012 to N300 million in 2013 and N500 million last year was caused by fraud.

    Governor Idris Wada alleged that a cabal is behind the fraud, saying he has set up a panel of enquiry to bring to book those behind the racket.

    Wada directed Kogi State pupils intending to sit for May/June 2015 WASSCE to pay their way until government unveils the fraudsters.

    He promised to refund candidates’ fees on producing their receipts.

    But, the workers do not buy the  fraud allegations. They said the bill increased because of the rise in number of candidates and the fees charged by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

    A ministry official denied that workers are involved in the alleged fraud.  According to him, other factors and not fraud were responsible for the rise in the WASCE bill.

    The official said the government was only being economical with the truth.

    The source said: “There is no fraud in the ministry. The number of students increases on a yearly basis and more are graduating from new schools where they have now reached SS3 where they now sit for WASCE based on Ministry of Education Inspection Report.

    “In 2012 the WASSCE fee was between N5, 000 and N6, 000 per student but that presently has increased to about N10, 000, all of which has contributed to the bloated cost the government is talking about.”

    Another senior official said the WASSCE fee paid by the government does not pass through the ministry.

    The source said: “WAEC money does not come to the ministry; it is electronically transferred from the Accountant-General’s office to WAEC.  It is the charges and other fees that come to the ministry. Let the government come out and say it does not have the money to pay or that it has lost the political will to carry on with the scheme. As far as I am concerned, government has not set up any committee to investigate any fraud. Yes, no committee has been set up whatsoever. Not even any to compile the name of parents that have paid their children’s fees.”

    Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Strategy Mr. Jacob Edi, who announced last month that government stopped WASSCE fees payment directed our correspondent to the Commissioner of Education for details on the probe.

    Last month, Edi said: “The subsidy was stopped in the interest of the people; machinery has been put in to track those responsible,” he said.

    But the Commissioner, Dr Agnes Okai, said she was unaware of any panel set up by government to probe WASSCE fraud fee.  She said the government would constitute a committee to determine parents that have paid their children’s WASSCE fees, in order to refund them.

    “The committee is yet to be inaugurated,” she said.

    A look at WASSCE enrolment records at the ministry showed that 39, 927 candidates have registered for the 2015 WASSCE, a decrease from 2014, which was 43, 975. In 2013, 42, 819 sat for the examination in Kogi State, while, 45, 275 were presented in 2012.

    Dr Okai said fees paid to WAEC in the last three years varied.  She said while the 2015 estimate stood at N515, 058, 300, the government paid N496, 917, 500 last year.

    WAEC, she said, charged N11, 450 per student for 2015. In 2014 it charged N9,850; in 2013, N8, 050; and in 2012, N5, 650.

    Explaining what could be responsible for the yearly variation, Dr Okai said: “The figures are increasing essentially more so because WAEC increased what they called biometric capturing cost.  Each candidate is to pay N500.  In the ministry, there is one exam they call Common Transition Examination and it is only those that have five credits from SS2 to SS3 that are paid for”.

    At the end of the closing date for payment for the 2015 WASSCE on January 31, The Nation gathered, many were unable to pay; others made frantic efforts to raise the money to avoid paying additional N5,000 for late registration.

    The dilemma caused by the sudden withdrawal of government subsidy has cast a cloud on the future of some of the affected pupils. Some principals of secondary schools outside Lokoja said many pupils might not sit for the examination because of funds.

    A principal said: “At the end of the late entrance date, what will happen to those who were not able to register? Will they drop out from school or will they fall prey and become thugs? They will become danger to the state and tools in the hands of politicians.”

    Paul Oduma, a SS3 pupil of Government Day Secondary School, Adankolo, said pupil’s were initially told that those of them that pass the mock examination would enjoy the subsidy.  He said some of his mates could not raise funds for the examination despite passing the mock exam.

    “Initially, they said the government was going to pay for those that passed the transition exam.  At the end of the day they now said the government is not going to pay, even for those that passed. Of those that passed the transition exam it is not all of them that were able to pay and not all of them are going to sit for the exams, because we learnt that in some schools, people are paying for them”.

    A parent, Amuda Dan Suleman, complained about the withdrawal of government subsidy, describing it as a sudden blow in the face. He hopes the government would stay true to its promise to refund the N12, 850 which he paid for his son, Mohammed, a pupil of Crowther Memorial College, Lokoja.

    Showing this reporter a bank teller, he said: “Government said they are going to refund but they have not refunded anything yet. I paid on the 17th of December, 2014 into account number 0106617103.”

    Another parent, who simply identified himself as Abah, said he paid up because he cannot jeopardise his son’s future because of government’s failing.

    He said: “If I do not pay will I hold Wada responsible in the future and by the time my own child might have been rendered useless? They know what they are doing. This is not the first time the government is denying the people of Kogi their rights. Go to the local governments, it is worse. There is even this small bottle beer, the real name is Saltzenbrau but they call it ‘half salary’ or they say ‘give me Wada’, because they are paid half salary or nothing at all. We are watching and waiting. I will not even be surprised if they give excuse that they will not pay any refund.”

    A politician, Comrade Aiyelabowo Adebanji, said the government has no excuse for not paying the fees, particularly at a time many parents were losing their jobs.

    He said: “Ninety-five students of Oluyori Secondary School, Isanlu have been deprived from writing WASSCE because of the cancelation of fees by government. Why did government say that the parents should pay and come for refund with their receipts when most of the parents are local government workers who are being owed 13 months’ salary?   Meanwhile, some of them have been sacked for no reason, no official backing.”

    While many struggled to pay, some affluent politicians and public office holders came to the aid of some others.

    In Kogi Central, The Nation gathered that a minister paid the fees for SS3 pupils.

    He was said to have asked school principals to compile the list of those that paid. He wrote out cheques for the refund. In Kogi East, a lawmaker reportedly paid for pupils from his constituency.

  • Kogi sacks Accountant-General

    The Kogi State government on Thursday sacked the state Accountant-General, Mr. Paul Audu, while approving Mr. Ibrahim Idakwo as replacement.

    According to a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to the state Governor, Mr. Jacob Edi, Audu’s sack takes immediate effect.

    The statement added that Governor Idris Wada thanked the former Accountant-General for his years of service and wished him success in his future endeavours.

    A source close to the Government House told The Nation that Audu’s sack may not be unconnected with a recent staff verification exercise conducted by the state government, adding that the former AG “was found wanting in various financial dealings.”