By Secrets Reporters
Dr. Yusuf Maina Bukar had four months left as Director-General of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall when March 2024 arrived and President Bola Tinubu replace him with Saleh Abubakar on 13 July. A SecretsReporters investigation can reveal that in the weeks before his exit, the agency under Bukar went on a road-building frenzy: on 28 March 2024 and the days around it, NAGGW, an agency created solely to fight desertification paid N2,135,068,474.54 for road construction across Kano, the FCT, Niger and even Delta State.
N870.46 million for two Kano roads in one day
The vouchers of 28 March 2024 read like a works ministry’s, not a tree-planting agency. Skygrid Construction Nigeria Limited got paid N435,851,689.40 for the “construction of Gwarzo Kutama road and other roads in Kano State”, and Rock Results Nigeria Limited got N434,609,683.85 for the “construction of Janji Kalgo and other selected roads in Kano State”. Two roads, two contractors, N870.46 million, one day. Under Sections 16 and 25 of the Public Procurement Act 2007, works contracts approaching half a billion naira each must pass through open competitive bidding with Bureau of Public Procurement oversight.
One road, two lots, one inactive contractor
The Yari Mawa Jataka Hayewa road in Kano was split into lots: Macgable Global Services Ltd got LOT1 for N217,378,456.85 (28 March), and Beckspoint Limited got LOTII for N217,105,581.43 (29 February). CAC checks by SecretsReporters show Beckspoint Limited (RC 820971, registered May 2009) is officially inactive which is in breach of the Financial Regulations’ requirement that every contractor hold valid CAC credentials, and of Section 43 of the Procurement Act’s ban on splitting one project into lots to dodge scrutiny. LRB Global Investment Limited was paid N218,539,420.30 for the Ijah Kato road in the FCT and Joshua Global Ventures Ltd got N174,787,700.75 for the Kaura ‘Marvelous’ road in the FCT complete the picture: a desert agency paving the capital.
Roads in Bida — and in Delta State
JRB Constructions Company Limited collected N174,720,319.20 for the “construction of Golf Course road and some selected roads in Bida, Niger State” Golden Quantities Associates Ltd got N131,057,640.21 for the Emiliman Bpangaye road, also in Bida; and Premium Project Infrastructure Limited got N131,017,982.55 for the “rehabilitation of Adoni Agidase/Agidaihel Ogwahi Uku road in Delta State”. Delta State in the Niger Delta, about as far from desertification as Nigeria gets.
The NAGGW (Establishment) Act 2015 confines the agency to the eleven frontline northern states. A N131 million road in Delta, paid for by the Great Green Wall, is spending so far outside the agency’s statute that it can only be read as a misapplication of public funds, contrary to Section 38 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 which is the classic laundering of constituency projects through an unrelated MDA’s budget.
Solar for Osun, again
The March spree was not all asphalt. Maiwada Global Concepts Limited got N136,972,278.75 plus another N36,000,000.00 for solar streetlights in Ikire, Osun State and more N172.97 million for a town in the rainforest belt while Optimal Security Systems Limited was paid N217,640,871.01, Develocom Nig Ltd went away with N216,560,296.12 and K-Class Multi Global Engineering Limited bolted with N216,529,945.88. More money was shared to the tune of N650.73 million for Kano solar installations on the same 28 March.
Four months before his removal, Bukar’s agency was spending billions on everything except its mandate.
