The Kwara State Government has refuted claims that the current administration of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq mismanaged a fund worth approximately N7.05 billion.
Alhaji Bashir Adigun, the governor’s special adviser on political communications, said at a news conference on Tuesday that the administration has been operating and using public funds in accordance with Civil Service financial standards.
Adigun claimed that the government had discovered a plot by the opposition parties to tarnish the governor’s and top government officials’ reputations in preparation for the 2023 elections. He added that the move was intended to discredit them in the eyes of the general public.
Adigun said, “We have invited you to this News Conference to draw your attention to a plot by some opposition elements in the state, including the Peoples Democratic Party and their allies, to smear the governor and some other top government officials with falsehood in their desperate bid to return the state to backwardness and wanton diversion of public funds and resources for their private use.
“They planned to begin heavy use of some media platforms, including online media, to attack the Government, using all sorts of salacious tales that only exist in their imagination.”
According to Adigun, opposition forces in the state are attempting to revive several unsolved cases, including the missing N300 million local government fund, the alleged N750 million contract inflation, and the N6 billion fund that the government is accused of spending without the former State Auditor General’s consent.
The governor’s aide noted, “We are aware that some mischievous elements are trying to rehash the long dismissed tale of N300m LG funds purportedly missing.
“The interesting thing is that the only source to whom they credit this phantom claim has since retracted the claim on a number of occasions. As a government that cared about accountability, the government set up a probe panel which thoroughly investigated the matter.
“Various persons and government departments made presentations to the panel, and the finding was that there was nothing like anyone diverting any money from local government.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the panel headed by retired Justice Mathew Adewara said it found no evidence that any money was missing. Before then, on July 20, 2020, the former commissioner who was alleged to have made the claim said no such thing ever happened.
“Despite all these, some elements are bent on misleading the public in the name of politics.”
Speaking on the accomplishments of the current government, the Special Adviser claimed that the administration had made steps to stabilize the state’s economy by launching numerous projects and programs that would benefit the state’s citizens by generating wealth and employment.
Adigun said, ” “All these laudable achievements within three years are what give the opposition sleepless nights and their reason to be want to embark on falsehood and smear campaign.
“We, therefore, urge the media to fact-check each statement the opposition makes as we move into electioneering because they do not mean well for our people. Similarly, we appeal to the residents of the state to be wary of any statement or contents from these desperate elements and their different allies.”
