The Director of Media and Public Affairs of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo has called for a forensic audit of the account of the Forum alleging fraud and illegal transaction in the Secretariat.
In a letter addressed to the NGF Chairman, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, Bello-Barkindo stated that the NGF Director-General, Asishana Okauru and the Executive Director of Finance and Administration had turned the Forum and its finances into their personal fiefdom.
According to Bello-Barkindo, “The N630 million deductions from the N5 billion Infrastructure Support Fund which ended in a shouting bout among Governors while you are Chairman was a delibrate ploy to make you look bad among your colleagues”.
“Before then, there was a case of N7 billion belonging to Zamfara State which Okauru sent one of his minions to collect from the treasury in 2019. That incident isolated Governor Bello Matawalle from the Forum”.
Barkindo who was eased out of the Secretariat a few weeks ago through what he termed “illegal verbal sack”, said the NGF made close to N19 billion out of which staff of NGF were to be rewarded with N850 million by Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State who was then Chairman of the Forum.
According to him, the NGF Director-General after much persuasion to let the goodies go round took N250 million, Executive Directors took N200 million each while the remaining staff were left with N200 million.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat has reacted to the allegations of its Director of Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo calling for a forensic audit of the Account of the organisation.
In a statement issued by Chijioke Chuku of the NGF Legal Department, there is no substance whatsoever in the allegations contained in the letter.
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum assured that there is no crisis rocking it adding that the allegations by Bello-Barkindo were already being investigated by the Police and a subject matter of a suit pending before a court of law.
The letter emanating from the NGF also reiterated that Bello-Barkindo resigned his appointment with the NGF Secretariat on December 7, 2023, a claim that Bello- Barkindo has deflated .
Bello-Barkindo had in a letter to the the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq raised damning allegations against the management of the NGF bothering on financial impropriety and fraud.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
