The seat of government in Kaduna State appears enmeshed in political troubled waters as the uncertain currents of 2015 blows through the offices at the government house. What seemed a certain return to office in 2015 appears but a fleeting illusion for the greenhorn governor who only recently ascended to the seat of governor through the untimely death of the governor of Kaduna State, Late Patrick Yakowa. Information available to 247ureports.com obtained through competent sources near the activity at the Kaduna state administrative circles reveals financial criminality engaged by the State governor in his guise of awarding fictional contracts to a low ranking aide – out of the respective Local Government Areas [LGA] in an effort to amount required resources against the 2015 campaign exercise – either for his [Yero] or for the Jonathan/Sambo campaign.
As gathered, the Yero administration had turned to the LGAs to raise immediately needed funds. In particular, the governor chose to use a former errand boy to the Vice President of Nigeria, Architect Namadi Sambo – by the name Abubakar Atiku of Kano State. Atiku was formerly an aide for the then governor of Kaduna State [Namadi Sambo] – he assisted the Sambo campaign organization in placing campaign posters around Kaduna State. His responsibility was to collect the campaign poster and drive them to the selected locations – and then to post the campaign posters. With the move of Sambo from Kaduna government house to Aso Rock in Abuja, the Yero administration took up Abubakar Atiku as an aide.
The Yero administration, with barely five months following the conduct of the council polls, directed the twenty three [23] LGA chairmen to raise N27million each for the award of contract for the erection of a power station – another instruction was given for N17million to be raised by each chairman for the procurement of water vans. In all, each of the 23 LGA Chairmen are to raise N44miilion each – summing to a little over N1billion.
Out of the N1.012billion contract award, N968million [96%] equivalent to 22 out of the 23 LGA contract awards were awarded to Abubakar Atiku. With the one other individual receiving the award from one LGA- for the amount N44million.
Interestingly, Atiku Abubakar is said to have never owned a company or any form of a registered business where he has had to manage monies over N500,000. Some within the government who are familiar with the antecedents of Atiku point to the contract award as mere money transfer mechanism from the government of Kaduna State into the pockets of would-be paid campaigners. They indicate that Atiku’s responsibility had always been to arrange for campaign posters and placement of campaign posters at the pre-selection locations. He also arranges security for the crew of poster boys.
What appears unsettling is that following the instruction for the funds to be raised for the Atiku chap, the LGA chairman began making their way to China in droves. Only three days ago, the first batch departed Abuja en-route to China – the second batch is expected to today. It is uncertain the reason for the sudden unexplained travel to China but knowledgeable sources speculate that the trip to China has to do with financial rewards to the Chairmen set up by the Yero administration through elaborate money laundering schemes.
When 247ureports.com contacted the office of the Kaduna State government, they were quick to deny it. In the words of the Chief media executive in the governor’s office, Ahmed Maiyaka, “It’s malicious and unfounded. It is laughable to imagine the deductions of LG funds in a system that is transparent and autonomous as known to all since the assumption of Yero as the Governor of the state. It is calculated by mischievous people to tarnish the hard earned reputation of the Governor. We therefore call on the general public to disregard the story”.
