Kwara: ‘Judicial solution’ likely as committee on sales of public assets submits report

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Friday said recommendations of the committee on sales of public assets may be tested in the court in a bid to get justice for the people of the state.

AbdulRazaq was speaking in Ilorin, the state capital, when the Committee on the Review of the Sales/Disposal of Government Properties submitted its final report to the Governor.

“I thank you for your time and the efforts put into the work. I went through the interim report and I’m sure this final report would be an improvement on it,” he said.

“We would not discard the report because that would be a waste of your time and resources. We will definitely look at it. And we will find judicial solutions for the good of the state and Nigeria. In the interim report that you  recently submitted, we saw some abnormalities which we will not allow to stand.”

The Governor also said the committee might be called upon to make clarifications as government leafs through the report.

Senator Suleiman Ajadi, chairman of the committee, told the Governor that several frauds and mismanagement of public funds and properties were discovered, especially in the handling of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises funds, Harmony Holdings, and others.

He urged the administration not to let the report end in the bin as that might mean the loss of at least N5bn allegedly mismanaged through the SMEs funds.

“The committee observed unconscionable and immoral use of public funds to buy luxury cars, which flies in the face of the poverty being faced by our people, especially because of the several months of unpaid salaries,” Ajadi said.

“It was considered reckless and against all common decency for those in authority to award these properties kept in their care to themselves in whatever guise.”

Rafiu Ajakaye

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor

16 August, 2019.
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