The trial of former Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, and his then Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu, continued on Thursday, April 10, 2025, with revelations that a N1 billion loan obtained from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Matching Grant in 2015 was never repaid.
At the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, the fourth prosecution witness (PW4), Lanre Daibu, who was Chairman of the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) at the time, told Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar that the loan was facilitated by Banu for payment of salaries and pensions.
According to Daibu, “My lord, the second defendant, Banu, called me on phone that the state government needed money to pay salaries of its workforce and pensioners. The Board sat on the issue and concluded that such requests must be in writing and not telephone conversation. I, therefore, called the Honourable Commissioner to put it into writing.”
He explained that the board sought written confirmation to ensure repayment commitments. “The reason we insisted that such a request should be in writing was to ensure that we get commitment from the state government as to when they are going to pay back the loan. In the letter signed on behalf of the second defendant, they promised to pay back in a month or two. However, they did not repay the loan till the Board was dissolved.”
Daibu noted his reluctance in approving the request due to the nature of the funds. “I was reluctant to grant the request because I was fully aware that the state government has no right to borrow or spend UBEC Matching Grant, meant to be used for the purposes stated in the Action Plan.”
He also confirmed that approval for the loan came from the then governor, referencing a letter from the Ministry of Finance marked as “Exhibit 4”.
Daibu added that he could not complete his tenure as SUBEB Chairman due to the Board’s premature dissolution.
The fifth prosecution witness (PW5), Benjamin Sehinde Fatigun, a retired permanent secretary in the Kwara State Ministry of Finance, corroborated Daibu’s testimony, stating that the former governor approved the transaction.
“There was an approval from the then governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed that the State Universal Basic Education Board should lend the Kwara State Government the sum of N1billion to augment the payment for civil servants and retirees. I got the approval from the Honourable Commissioner for Finance, that is the second defendant and the fund was transferred to the state’s salary account,” Fatigun testified.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN, and Gboyega Oyewole, SAN, Fatigun maintained that the Ministry of Finance had documented the state’s financial difficulty.
“My lord, a letter emanated from the Ministry of Finance to the Office of the Executive Governor of the state that we have challenges in paying salaries and SUBEB was suggested as a way out and I explained in the statements I made with the EFCC how the sum of N1billion was released.”
The EFCC is prosecuting Ahmed and Banu on an amended 14-count charge bordering on the alleged misappropriation and diversion of UBEC funds amounting to N5.78 billion.
The case was adjourned till Friday, April 11, 2025, for continuation of trial.
