Ex-Kwara State Accountant General, Mr. Suleiman Ishola, on Friday testified in the continued trial of former governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, saying the administration actually took a N1 billion loan to augment the payment of civil servants and pensioners salaries in the state.
Ahmed and his finance commissioner, Ademola Banu, are facing trial before Justice Mahmood Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, over alleged diversion of N5.78 billion State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, fund.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, charged the duo before the court.
Isola also said that the fund was not diverted to personal pockets as being insinuated in certain quarters.
The ex-AG who is also the anti-graft agency’s witness 5, testified on Friday while being led in evidence by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Counsel Rotimi Jacobs (SAN).
Ex-Chairman of SUBEB, Alhaji Lanre Daibu on Thursday, had also revealed that the N1 billion loan was used by the then state government to augment salary payment of workers and arrears of pensioners salaries.
Daibu also told the court that Ahmed and Banu were not signatories to the SUBEB accounts while the money approved for the payment of workers and pensioners and was not paid into personal accounts of the defendants.
Testifying on Friday, Isola said, “As the Accountant General, the governor must approve all payments before I can go ahead with the payment.
“In 2014 I was copied with a letter that a sum of one billion Naira would be coming from SUBEB to the Kwara State government salary account for payment of salaries and pensions.
“The Permanent Secretary, Benjamin Fatigun, conveyed the directive of the finance commissioner to me to pay salaries.
“Ordinarily, the one billion Naira was not enough to pay salaries. We still had a deficit of over N700 million.
“On receipt of warrants and vouchers from various ministries we made payment generally. That is one of our duties.”
The trial judge, Justice Mahmood Abdulgafar, adjourned the case till June 11, 12, 2025 for continuation of trial.
