FACT-CHECK: Documents show Adamawa SSG, Bashir Ahmad lied against Bindow, in none payment of UBEC counterpart funding claim
The claim by the secretary to the Adamawa state government, Bashir Ahmad, that the government of the Bindow fails to pay UBEC counterpart funds is false, an investigation by THE FINDER has shown.
Also untrue, our findings show, is Mr. Bashir’s claim that Bindow used 2.5 billion naira monthly as loan to pay workers salary every months.
In his controversial interview circulating on social media, Bashir had, among other allegations, accused Mr. Bindow of abandoning education by not paying 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 UBEC counterpart fund.
But THE FINDER can report authoritatively today that Mr. Bashir was economical with the truth as far as this particular UBEC counterpart funding is concerned.
The government of Bindow paid UBEC counterpart funding abandoned by Messrs Fintiri and Ngillari in 2014, as document shows that Bindow paid UBEC counterpart funding for 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, which also covers backlog of none payment of the UBEC fund by Bindow’s predecessors.
In his controversial interview, sighted by this newspaper, Mr. Bashir, contrary to what he told his interviewer, did not indicate anywhere or stumble on any documents that Mr. Bindow borrow 2.5 billion naira monthly to pay workers salary as the Fintiri led administration severally claimed that the last government was voted out due to none payment of salary, Bashir statement on payment of workers salary by the Bindow’s administration is in sharp contrast with media hype and propaganda used by the government of Fintiri which he is a part of.
Our findings showed that the IGR under Fintiri slightly improved through PAYEE as FAAC allocation to Adamawa improved tremendously.
Those familiar with the issues raised by Bashir said there was no way Sen. Bindow could have borrowed 2.5 billion monthly when the total salary of the state workers under Bindow was about 1.8 billion naira in total and despite sacking about ten thousand workers from government payroll by the Fintiri led government hiding under due process, still the present government still used overdraft monthly to pay workers salary as Bachure road project is the only infrastructure project kick-started by the Fintiri administration since inauguration one year ago.
Bindow is right
In its response to Mr. Bashir’s interview publish on social media, Mr. Mapida Ikwurnyi, the Adamawa first initiative secretary, had explained that the Fintiri government is claiming glory of not using overdraft due to the sacking of 10,000 workers from the payroll.
“As for the shila boys and kidnapping the government got it wrong as the people has resulted to jungle justice due to the failure of the Fintiri’s administration to provide security for lives talk less of their property, no right thinking government will give herself pass mark when kidnappers are having a feed day in Adamawa, this people claim in their first 100 days in office that they have end the menace of the shila boys in Yola only for the people to be massacre and deprived of their phones and other valuable on daily basis”.
The group described as “most unfortunate the continued claim by the Fintiri led government that they have paid counterpart funding, defeat shila boys and also defeated the menace of kidnapping for ransom in Adamawa.
CONCLUSION: Mr. Bashir’s interview to the press does not support his claim that the Bindow’s government fails to pay counterpart funding for UBEC and also collecting 2.5 billion naira as overdraft to pay workers salary monthly.
Documents reviewed by this newspaper as well as interviews with those who should know also indicate that the Bindow administration bought textbooks renovated Villa nova secondary, Numan, GSS, Hong, GSS, Mubi and many more.
Investigation reveals that Bindow administration left over 4 billion in UBEC account.