Men of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences
Commission (ICPC) were in Ekiti State for the better part of last
week, in continuation of the anti-graft agency’s investigation of the
alleged misappropriation of over N25 billion.

The ICPC team of investigators, which included two men and one woman,
visited some of the projects claimed to have been executed with the
N25 billion bond obtained from the capital market by the Fayemi
administration.

The visit was said to be at the prompting of petitions written by the
State Government and a group, Save Ekiti Coalition (SEC).

Sources close to the commission also disclosed that the federal government was no longer comfortable with the public perception of President Mohammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption fight as being selective and most importantly, Governor Ayodele Fayose’s claim that complaints from the State to the ICPC and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) about how the immediate past All Progressives Congress (APC) government of Fayemi fleeced the State were ignored.

Apart from its petition, the State government also forwarded a
reminder to the EFCC and ICPC with Reference Number PB/894/5, dated
September 14, 2015 and signed by the Secretary to the State
Government, Dr (Mrs), Modupe Alade, expressing the displeasure of the
State government to the way and manner the commissions were handling
petitions submitted to them.

Some of the contracts being investigated were the construction of
earthwork for the New Governor’s Office was awarded to PONTI-ITALWARE
Nig Ltd on March 3, 2012 at the sum of N383, 900,911.06, construction
of new governor’s office awarded to Interkel Nig Ltd at the sum of
N2,027,495,857.45, Civic Centre awarded to Tiajin-Yuyang Construction
Eng. Company Ltd at a sum of N2,573,584,395.75, rehabilitation of
roads among others.

Also being investigated is the N852, 936,713.92 State Universal Basic
Education Board (SUBEB) counterpart fund, which was withdrawn from the
Access Bank account of SUBEB on October 8, 2014, eight days to the end of Fayemi’s tenure.

The N852, 936,713.92 was SUBEB Counterpart Fund paid to enable the
Board access fund from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC)
and the alleged fraudulent withdrawal of the fund from SUBEB account
eight days to the end of Fayemi’s government was the reason Ekiti
State Government was blacklisted by UBEC.

ICPC is said to be interested in the rationale behind the transfer of
the N852,936,713.92 into what was called Ekiti State Government
Capital Project account and not used to pay SUBEB contractors.

Also, the ICPC team were said to have asked questions from officials
in the SUBEB about the contracts worth N4, 246,094,751.14 awarded in
2012 through the Bureau of Special Projects (under the Governor’s
office). The contracts were for renovation of schools, supply of
school furniture and construction of classrooms. Funds for these
projects were taken from SUBEB and Local Governments accounts.

Petitions to ICPC alleged that of these contracts, N3, 672,078,820.14
were for renovation of schools alone. Atlantic Offshore & Properties
got N1, 152,562,555.14, Strabic Nig. Ltd got N1, 107,744.408.21, Bam
Darley Nig. Ltd. got N924, 977,310.95 while Fatub Nig. Ltd got N486,
794,545.84.

“Immediately the renovation contracts were awarded, Atlantic Offshore
& Properties was paid N750 million (70% of contract sum), Strabic Nig.
Ltd was paid N600 million (65% of contract sum), Bam Darley Nig. Ltd
was paid N600 million (70% of contract sum) while Fatub Nig.
Engineering Ltd was paid N150 million (60% of contract sum). “A total
of N2.1bn was paid from SUBEB and LG accounts to these contractors
even before the commencement of work, and over 40% of the payment was
diverted into private pockets.

“In the 2014 Capital Projects Report, payments to the contractors were
presented as; Atlantic Offshore & Properties (N1, 022,130,415.64),
Strabic Nig. Ltd (N957, 237,829.62), Bam Darley Nig. Ltd (N742,
730,990.25) and Fatub Engineering Nig. Ltd (N431, 327,270.41)

“As at the time N1, 022,130,415.64 was paid to Atlantic Offshore &
Properties, only 60% work had been done, meaning that Atlantic
Offshore & Properties was only entitled to N691, 537,551. Bam Darley
Nig. Ltd that was paid N742, 730,990.25 had done 60% work too and
ought to have been paid N554, 986,386.57,” one of the petitions
written by a group, Save Ekiti Coalition reads.