Niger State seizes six vehicles from former governor Aliyu and starts probe of his regime

FORMER Niger State governor Mua'zu Babangida Aliyu is all set to be investigated by his predecessor after new governor Abubakar Sani Bello set up two committees to look into the finances and award of contracts between 2007 and 2015.

 

Since the assumption of office, Governor Belo has been involved in a series of spats with his predecessor after it was discovered that Governor Aliyu took out a loan of N2.9bn (£9.5m) just 24 hours before leaving office to pay himself emoluments. Governor Bello has asked him to refund the money as it was not taken out to benefit the people of the state.

 

In a move likely to deepen the chasm further, Governor Bello set up the two committees in Minna yesterday, with the chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Engr Mohammed Jibrin Imam chairing the infrastructural contracts committee and Alhaji Mohammed Nda chairing the finance committee. Governor Bello stated that the infrastructural committee was to look into the infrastructure inherited, the viabilities and the inventory of all the liabilities by connecting with the relevant ministries, departments and agencies.

 

He further explained that the committee is to ascertain the financial assets and liabilities of the state and local governments as at May 29, 2015 by verifying all revenue accruing to the state and local governments. This will include monies from the federation account allocation committee, value added tax, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, argumentation exchange rate devaluation, ecological fund, the excess crude account, Sure-P, Millennium Development Goal development partner grants and internally generated revenue from 2007 to May 2015.

 

Already, the Niger state government has recovered six vehicles allegedly taken away without due diligence of the law by former governor Aliyu. Governor Abubakar Sani Bello’s chief press secretary, Dr Ibrahim Dooba, said that the vehicles were recovered from the former governor and his wife Hajiya Jummai Babangida Aliyu at their Abuja home.

 

He added that the vehicles made up of two Range Rover Jeeps, two saloons and a Mercedes station wagon were taken from the former governor’s house and one Hilux van from one of his aides. Dr Dooba revealed that it took the new administration this long to retrieve the vehicles because it tried to ascertain that they were not part of those the law allowed the former governor to take away when leaving office.