Adamawa governor-elect worried over outgoing governor’s last minute appointments, cash withdrawals

 

 

 

The Adamawa State Governor-elect, Umaru Fintiri, has said he is worried over last-minute appointments and cash withdrawals being made by the outgoing administration of Governor Mohammed Bindow.

Fintiri also claims there are ‘spurious’ award of contracts and sale of government properties to private individuals believed to be close to the government.

Mr Fintiri, who dropped the hint on Friday, also cautioned the outgoing administration against what he described as “last minute employment and award of bogus contracts.”

The Adamawa Transition Committee (ATC), set up by the governor-elect, to prepare for his takeover as the state governor on May 29, in a statement issued on Friday made the allegations.

It said, “some officials of the outgoing administration have embarked on illegal and unauthorised auctioning of government properties to themselves, their cronies and unsuspecting members of the public.’’

Part of the statement issued by the committee’s secretary, John Yahaya, read: “A particular case in point is Adamawa Agricultural Development and Investment Limited (AADIL), where government officials have concluded arrangements to auction its assets to themselves anytime, despite the fact that the contractor has not fully supplied all the items which is against the procurement laws.

“We also want to draw the attention of the current government that the transition committee is in possession of the correct inventory of all items of the agency as against what has been submitted to it.

“It is most despicable that a government which has been taking overdraft to pay salaries since inception, will suddenly turn welfarist by promising to pay the N30,000 minimum wage to workers even when the process is yet to completed by the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission.

“It is obvious that the governor was simply playing to the gallery and taking the workers for a ride, even as he paid himself severance benefits worth millions but failed to pay salaries for the month of April, ten days into the current month, thereby visiting untold hardship on them, especially the Muslim faithful who are observing Ramadan fast.”

When contacted on the phone, the state commissioner of information, Ahmad Sajoh, denied all the allegations.

“Why are they (Fintiri’s team) in a hurry. The government is a ‘continued’ process and the issue of auctioning is a blatant lie and mischievous, aimed at blackmailing the present administration in the state.

“Do they mean that because there is an incoming government, the present administration should stop working? I think, there are sinister moves in the whole process,’’ the official said.