Alleged N29.8bn Fraud: Gombe To Probe Goje

Former governor of Gombe State Alhaji Mohammed Danjuma Goje may soon be invited by the incumbent governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, to explain how his administration spent N29.8 billion belonging to taxpayers.
The state government said yesterday that it was only waiting for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s report before going ahead to investigate Goje, now a senator, on the “misappropriation and diversion of N29.8 billion”.
Dankwambo hinted of the planned probe of his predecessor yesterday when he received a report of the committee that authenticated pension and gratuity liabilities for the state and local government retirees.
 The governor, who pledged “to vigorously investigate the fraud”, also explained the financial status of the state. He promised to take immediate steps in repaying the N4.5 billion pensions liabilities of the state inherited by his administration.
 Dankwambo ordered the Ministry of Finance to release N1 billion for the outstanding pension liabilities after studying the report and another N50 million to N100 million monthly for servicing pension liabilities.
 On the misappropriated N29.8 billion by the previous administration, which has allegedly worsened the financial position of the government, Dankwambo disclosed that the state government, during the period under review, received N5.7 billion refund for road, airport and other projects. He lamented, “We cannot trace the record of government, these moneys have gone into various accounts and have gone into third-party accounts and diverted from the account of the state.”
 He continued: “As accountant-general of the federation then, I have records myself that I have reimbursed Gombe State government in the excess of N10 billion but N5.7 billion has been diverted from the accounts of the government. We will probe them; EFCC started probing some of them, and we are still awaiting the report, because the probe has to continue.
 “I am therefore using this medium to say that immediately EFCC reports to the government of Gombe State, the reconciliation of the moneys that were lodged in respect of refunds that were received from the federal government into Gombe State account to the tune of N5.7 billion will continue. While this is going on, we will continue to reconcile because every day is a brand new story.”
The governor further stated: “I just heard today (yesterday) of the liability of about N23 billion that was left of N29.8 billion outstanding in respect of the government of Gombe State that was left for the good people of the state.
 “We can’t continue like this because of the ineptitude of certain past leaders who ruled us. We don’t want a situation where we may end up not being able to service government or end up under another state after striving for the creation of our state,” Dankwambo said.
The committee’s chairman, Mr Mikah Kamat, explained the activities of the panel, which recommended the immediate adoption of the contributory scheme from January 2014.
 It also recommended that the state government should set up a Gombe State Pension Commission.

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