A prosecution witness, Abubakar Hassan, has testified that former Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, diverted funds meant for Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) projects in the state.
Hassan, an Assistant Director of Finance at UBEC, made this revelation on Monday, February 17, 2025, before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin. He testified that the first defendant, Ahmed, alongside former Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu, misappropriated public funds earmarked for educational projects.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ilorin Zonal Directorate, is prosecuting both defendants on a 12-count charge of financial mismanagement and misappropriation totaling N5.78 billion.
While being led in evidence by prosecution counsel Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, Hassan disclosed that 51 UBEC projects approved under the 2013 Action Plan were abandoned due to a lack of funds. The UBEC Project Monitoring Committee discovered the abandoned projects despite prior approvals and fund disbursements.
“My Lord, the Projects Monitoring Committee found that many projects were either unexecuted or abandoned. In May 2018, we wrote to then-Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, urging him to address the issue, but we received no response.”
Hassan stated that these abandoned projects spanned the 16 Local Government Areas of Kwara State. He further revealed that on January 6, 2015, N1 billion was loaned from the 2013 UBEC Matching Grant Account with Skye Bank Plc to pay state staff salaries and pensions, in violation of UBEC regulations.
Regarding the 2014 and 2015 State Counterpart Funds, Hassan testified that the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) illegally withdrew N1.83 billion from funds lodged on February 18, 2016, to qualify for Federal Government UBE Matching Grants.
“State Matching Grants cannot be borrowed or used for purposes outside the approved action plan. These infractions severely undermined UBEC’s objectives and hindered the execution of critical education projects,” he added.
Concerned about the fund diversion, UBEC requested documentary evidence from the state government regarding the utilization of its funds. The request was accompanied by records detailing financial transfers from UBEC to Kwara SUBEB.
Following the testimony, Justice Abdulgafar adjourned the case to February 18, 2025, for cross-examination of the witness.
