Asked To Refund Over N86m Immediately
The Kaduna State House of Assembly has suspended Mr. Nasara Rabo, Chairman of Kagarko LGA over a multi-million naira contract inflation, failure to deduct retention fees contrary to Financial Memorandum and carrying out direct labour to the tune of N80m without proper documentation and maintenance of projects financial record.
Mr. Rabo was suspended pending the outcome of the investigation by a Committee of the State Assembly.
Mr. Nasara’s suspension was precipitated by a damning report from the office of the Kaduna State Auditor General for Local Governments. The Auditor General’s report accused the Council Chairman of outrageous and untimely review of contracts sum and payment within two months.
The Auditor General’s letter to the Chairman dated 11th September 2023 was for the period from January 2022 to June 2023. The letter reads in part: “I am in receipt of aforementioned report from the Area Auditor of your Local Government for the period stated above.
The following are the observations raised in the report:
a. Outrageous and untimely review of contract sum and paid within two months of award. Out of the contracts awarded in the period mentioned above, ten (10) of them, (list here attached) awarded on the date of 18/03/2022 were reviewed by N86,221,618.26 and paid on 18/05/2022 in other words, you inflated the contract by N86,221,618.26 and whole contract sum was paid without due observance to financial rules and regulations such as deduction of retention money. Lack of deduction of retention money is an outright violation of financial memoranda (F.M 1724),” the letter stated.
b. You embarked on direct labour to the tune of N80,329,000.00 without proper documentation and maintenance of projects financial records.
The suspended Chairman was alleged to have committed serious financial irregularities and fraudulent activities and was therefore in the same letter directed to immediately refund the sum of N86,221,618.26 being the contract inflation awarded and paid within a period of two months.
The suspended Chairman was also directed to submit to the office of the Auditor General advance/deposit ledger for the year 2022 and payment vouchers and all receipts of the earlier mentioned direct labour which amounted to N80,329,000.00 along with the reason (s) that necessitated his embarking on direct labour.
The letter was signed by the Kaduna State Local Government Auditor General, Atiku Musa.
It was gathered that Rabo Nasara is alleged to have refused to obey an official letter from the State Ministry for Local Government Affairs directing him to return all government vehicles in his possession while on suspension.
Some staff of Kagarko LGA treasury department who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of victimization accused the suspended Chairman of high handedness, pride and arrogance adding that he has penchant for flagrant disrespect for financial regulations.
“It is saddening that our suspended Chairman is always in the habit of disrespect and abuse of laid down financial regulations. If you met in the office, I would have shown you some evidence of what I am saying because I work in the treasury department. Rabo is a reckless and bad manager of public funds. He treats Local Government money like his personal company’s funds,” declared a staff in one the departments of Kagarko Local Government Area.
Another staff of the Local Government also accused the Chairman of being a disaster as far as financial regulations is concerned. “I have been in the local government system for close to 29 years and I have been here in Kagarko LGA for long, but I have never seen a financial disaster like Rabo Nasara, the suspended Chairman. I just hope that members of the State Assembly committee will not succumb to his power to bribe his way back to office. I hear that he has offered each member of the investigative committee N10m to give him a clean bill of health which will ensure his return to office. Should that happen, he will come back to complete his looting expedition,” declared the staff.
Some citizens of Kagarko who do not want their identities disclosed said it was their local government money Mr. Nasara used during his campaigns for the position of Senator in the last APC primary election until he was instructed by former Governor Nasir El-Rufai to step down for Hon. Bulus Musa. It is believed that Rabo would have coasted to victory as the party flag bearer since he was using council money to fund his campaigns.
They therefore call on the Kaduna State House of Assembly to uphold Rabo’s suspension so as to serve as a deterrent to anyone who may be tempted to repeat what they term open looting of the people’s patrimony.
“We are watching with keen interest to see whether the State Assembly will turn its face the other way and condone this magnitude of fraud and the looting of the people’s patrimony by a man who was elected to serve his people,” a primary school teacher lamented.
When contacted, Mr. Rabo Nasara reportedly told a medium that he had decided to keep mute all this while by not speaking to the press until the State Assembly Committee completes its investigation.
