The Kebbi State House of Assembly has suspended the chairman of Fakai Local Government Council, Hon. Muhammad S/Fawa, for alleged, corruption, gross misconduct, breach of trust and stealing of the Council’s properties.
The House approved the suspension on Wednesday, following the adoption of the report of a Special Committee, chaired by Alhaji Salihu Dangoje, that investigated alleged misconduct and theft by the chairman.
Reading the report, Hon. Dangoje revealed that the committee discovered evidences of the chairman’s involvement in the misappropriation of five electrical transformers, meant to be sold at N2.5 million each, and irregular allocation of farmlands.
“The committee found out that the chairman had earlier claimed that the transformers were taken for servicing with the permission of a KEDCO official, but the official failed to appear before the committee for clarification,” Dangoje added.
The Guardian gathered that the chairman later admitted the misappropriation, and evidence of fund transfers into specific accounts linked to the transaction was discovered.
The committee also discovered irregularities in the allocation of farmlands, which led to the recommendation for the immediate revocation of the allocations.
Concerning the Mahuta Dam rehabilitation project, the committee noted inconsistencies in the chairman’s claim that the contract was awarded to ZBCC company.
“The ZBCC project engineer refuted the claim that the company was awarded any contract, adding that their equipment was only hired for supervision,” Dangoje added.
He explained that the committee found no evidence of a contract award despite payment of the contract sum.
“The committee has recommended the chairman’s suspension for six months to the Kebbi State Governor, with the vice chairman to take over”
Other recommendations include the immediate commencement of the Mahuta Dam rehabilitation, revocation of the illegally allocated farmlands, and a commendation letter to the NSCDC Divisional Officer in Fakai for professionalism in handling the transformer incident.
The motion for the chairman’s suspension was moved by Muhammad Buhari Aliero and seconded by Alhaji Nura Kangiwa, and the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Muhammad Usman, announced the resolution, saying the suspension takes immediate effect.
In other news, the Chairman of Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, Hussaini Aliyu, has refuted the claim by a U.S lawmaker, Riley Moore that the abduction of the Maga school girls took place in a christian environment.
The chairman lamented that all the kidnapped school girls are Muslims, describing the claim as misleading and capable of causing unnecessary religious tension, at a time when government’s efforts are focused on securing the girls’ release.
According to him, the Zuru Emirate, under which Maga community falls, has a long history of peaceful coexistence and has never experienced religious crises.
He therefore called on the U.S. lawmaker to refrain from making unverified statements that portray Nigeria negatively or undermine national unity.
