The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in Ilorin, Kwara State on Friday presented to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq a sum of N111,428,891,00 being the cash said to have been recovered from the looted fund belonging to the state.
The money, according to the anti-graft agency, was retrieved from former political office holders, a traditional ruler and top civil servants.
Isyaku Sharu, the EFCC Zonal head in Ilorin, who handed over the looted cash to the governor, revealed that the commission, which began its operation in the state in February this year, had secured 29 convictions and recovered over N500million in both assets and cash.
Sharu disclosed that the recovery was made from suspected state treasury looters, who allegedly misappropriated landed properties of Harmony Holdings while others diverted funds meant for micro small and medium credit scheme.
He, however, expressed the readiness of the anti-graft agency to support the state government in profiling and keeping track on political office holders and key officers, warning that it would no longer be business as usual.
Abdulrazaq, who lauded the EFCC for the recovery, said the fund would be reinvested in the social investment programmes of his administration, a bill of which is before the state House of Assembly.
The governor pledged that government would not use the money to award contracts, pointing out that it could help lift thousands of people out of poverty if well utilised.
Abdulrazaq equally said his administration was replicating the Federal Government social investment programme in fulfillment of his promise to reduce the menace of poverty in the state.
While urging the people of the state to join hands with the anti-graft agency, he said: “When I told people I was coming, they said I was going into the lion’s den, and I said no, EFCC belongs to us. We don’t need to be afraid of them unless we have something to hide. The Federal Government acted very well by supporting the EFCC.
“We are replicating many of the Federal Government programmes in Kwara, especially one of those is Social Investment Programmes. Some people know it as Tradermoni, Money Market, N-Power, School Feeding, etc.
“People will now realise that the seed money for the programme was part of the money EFCC recovered, that the Federal Government used as seed money for the Social Investment Programmes. Our Social Investment Bill is in the State House of Assembly. It is about to be passed. We are also emulating the Federal Government in that.
“This money is going to help thousands of people to lift them out of poverty. We are not going to award contracts with this money. It is just going to help the poor people.”
SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin
