The battle against corruption may have dwindled down to mere vocal exercise for the Mohammadu Buhari administration. The grandiose exhibition of disregard to candor in executing the administrative duties at the various ministries points away from the fight against corruption in the most unforgiving manner. Information available to 247ureports.com indicate the Education Ministry under the leadership of the Honorable Minister, Malam Adamu Adamu has become a cesspit of corruption and cronyism.
As the senior Minister at the Education Ministry, Malam Adamu Adamu oversaw the appointment of blood relatives to virtually all available political positions at the ministry. Adamu Adamu also oversaw the execution of over N5billion illegally awarded contracts to friends and business partners.
First on the laundry list of corrupt contract awards was a N500million printing contract to a firm [Ramadan Press Limited] belonging to Alhaji Garba Noma – a former Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] chairman and a current ranking stakeholder in the PDP. The contract awarded by the National Teachers Institute [NTI] – a parastatal under the Education Ministry. The contract was awarded to Garba Noma on the instructions by the Malam Adamu Adamu.
Interestingly, the printing project was valued at N200million by internal estimators at the NTI. But the Minister influenced the value of the contract to be bumped up to N500m. Investigation by 247ureports.com discovered Garba Noma to be acting as a front for a former Secretary To The Government Of Federation [SGF] under the Yar’Adua/Jonathan administration, Mahmud Yayale Ahmed. Both Yayale and Noma have been friends and staunch business partners dating back many decades.
Connecting the link in cronyism is the relationship between the former SGF [Mahmud Yayale Ahmed] and Malam Adamu Adamu. The current home where the Malam Adamu resides in Gwarimpa and in Wuse Zone 2 were gifts given to him by the former SGF. Prior to becoming the Education Minister, Adamu had depended on the former SGF for virtually all his financial needs. The financial dependency is reported to have a long history. In effect, the contract award to Noma was an award to the former SGF, Yayale.
Similar exhibition of cronyism and corruption was also uncovered at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund [TEFUND] where another close friend and appointee of Malam Adamu, Dr. Bafar Bichi seats as the Executive Secretary of TEFUND. In connivance, the duo of Adamu and Bichi seized an opportunity – following the fire outbreak that struck the University of Jos severely damaging the University library – to draft a quick contract for the rebuilding of the school library. The cost of the rebuilding of the library was pegged at the whooping sum of N700million and the contract was awarded to firm belonging to Rufai Bichi, a brother to the Executive Secretary.
At the Universal Basic Education Commission [UBEC], the story is the same. The Executive Secretary, Dr. Hameed Bobboyi was nominated by a close and longtime friend of the Malam Adamu Adamu – Alhaji Abdulmumini. Through this arrangement, the UBEC is virtually controlled by Alhaji Abdulmumini. All the contract awards at the UBEC is determined by Abdulmumini – and Malam Adamu.
Inside the minister’s office, the disregard for the fight against corruption seems ever on point. This is as the Minister has tapped on his relatives to replace all office positions. First was his wife’s brother who was formerly an assistant director at another parastatal was brought over to the Minister’s office to assume the office of Special Assistant. Following the appointment of his wife’s brother, another brother of the wife began protesting over being left out. The Minister responded to calm the protesting in-law by promising to attach him to the new TEFUND Executive Secretary, when he appoints one. And, immediately, the Minister appointed the Executive Secretary, the protesting in-law was made the Personal Assistant [PA] to the Executive Secretary. Also, the Minister tapped on his sister’s son, [his nephew] who was formerly employed at the National University Commission [NUC], to assume the position of Personal Assistant [PA] to the Minister. To cap it, Malam Adamu Adamu directly awarded his blood brother, Ibrahim Adamu, a contract worth in excess of N60million in 2016. The contract remains unexecuted till date.
When the Permanent Secretary at the Education Ministry noticed what appeared as anomalies and breach of due process, she raised alarm to the Education Minister. But she was ignored. Her repeated complaints resulted in her removal from the Ministry. She was transferred and resigned to another Ministry last week. Another Permanent Secretary from the Petroleum Ministry has since taken over as the new Permanent Secretary at the Education Ministry.
A source close to the Minister tells 247ureports.com that the Minister has become too engrossed in cronyism and corruption to achieve any of the goals of the Education Ministry. “He is too much in bed with the ousted corrupt PDP chieftains”.
247ureports.com reached out to the chief of staff to the Honorable Minister, Mr. Ben for a reaction to the sudden transfer of the Permanent Secretary and the other allegations. He request for time. Twenty four hours [24] later, he did not respond. A request for reaction was also sent to the Director of Press, Abubakar Adams, he failed to respond also.
