Gbese Re O!! N18.7bn Benue Teacher's Salaries Paid Into Unknown Account

 

The Justice Elizabeth Kpojime Commission of

Inquiry, which resumed sitting at the

Makurdi High Court Four on Wednesday,

said the Benue State Bureau for Local

Government and Chieftaincy Affairs paid

N18.7bn meant for primary school teachers’

salaries into an unknown account with First

Bank in Makurdi.

Testifying before the commission, the

Permanent Secretary of the Bureau, Mr.

Emmanuel Ikpe, who could not give a

satisfactory explanation on the identity of

the owner of the bank account, appealed to

the commission to invite the former Special

Adviser of the Bureau during the period

under investigation, Mr. Solomon Wombo,

and the then Permanent Secretary, Mr. Asen

Sambe, to give the required clarifications.

He said N1.8bn monthly salaries of primary

school teachers owed between October 2013

and June 2014, was lodged in the fixed

deposit account number 1017993231 with

First Bank.

Ikpe admitted that the Bureau made

payments between January and May, 2015

to the tune of N18.7bn into the unknown

account at First Bank, Makurdi, adding that

officials of the bank refused to give the

Bureau details of the account when the

Director of Finance and Administration

approached its officials.

When the Commission demanded to know

who from the Bureau made the payment of

N4.6bn in May and N5bn in June last year

among others, Ikpe said the then

Accountant, Mr. Isaiah Ipevnor, and Sambe,

who was the accounting officer, were in the

best position to explain.

On why N3.4m was being paid monthly by

the Bureau to a contractor, Ameh

Technology, Ikpe explained that the Bureau

had entered into a contractual agreement

with the company for the supply and

maintenance of generators in the 23 local

government areas of the state.

He however stated that since he became the

Permanent Secretary, the money had not

been paid to the contractor and the Bureau

was thinking of terminating the contract so

that if any local government needed such a

service, it would request for it.

When Kpojime also demanded to know why

Ashitech, Ashifood and Akpo Integrated

Limited were being paid between N40m and

N45m monthly, the Permanent Secretary

requested for time to enable him to look

into the records and furnish the commission

with details.

Kpojime adjourned the sitting to enable Ikpe

to continue with his testimony on Friday

(today) and Thursday next week and to

enable him to tender some documents

requested.

Source: PunchNg