Secret Reporters No place to hide
Secret Reporters
Whosoever coined the name “Yeye Bello” deserves an accolade as that seems to be the best way to describe the villainous Governor of Kogi state who has continued the dance of shame in constantly submerging his State in untold hardship and debts.
Documents available to SecretReporters reveal how Governor Yahaya Bello collected multiple loans of 3.5billion Naira meant for the payment of outstanding salaries of civil servants and Kogi State’s access to Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC) grant for 2017 of more than 1.2billion Naira.
Investigations by our reporters revealed that Yahaya Bello requested a term loan for 2017 SUBEB counterpart fund from Fidelity Bank up to the tune of One Billion Naira, Two Hundred and Eighty Six Million, Three Hundred and Forty Three Thousand, One Hundred and Eighty Three Naira, Fifty Five Kobo. (NGN1,286,343,183,55) which was confirmed received but till date no single penny has been accounted for.
Further findings by SecretReporters into his reckless borrowings and spending revealed that the Yahaya Bello`s led administration also requested a loan of 3.5billion naira from the same Fidelity Bank which was in the long run granted to offset the long over-due payment of civil servants with a view of settling the loan with the Paris Club Refund but alas the monies were diverted into private accounts.
As collateral, the state executive council signed a document giving an irrevocable order to Zenith Bank to make deduction of the sum of N236,892,000.00 comprising principal and interest in request to the loan received from Fidelity bank to be paid for the period of 18months till the loan granted is fully liquidated.
It was also confirmed that from the Paris Club Refund, Kogi state was allocated the sum of Six billion, seven hundred and twenty seven million, five hundred and ninety five thousand, eighty kobo. (N6,027,727,595.80) in partial settlement of the long-standing claim of state governments relating to over- deduction from their Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) , allocation for external debt service arising between 1995-2002
Despite all these loans and grants given to the rascal governor and his cabinet that are well known to spend and lavish public funds for self-gratification, Kogi State workers still groan in agony as they are still being owed salaries for more than 3 years, without any hope of succor. To evade suspicion and possible indictment in future Governor Bello resorted to carrying out screenings as a disguise for not paying workers’ salaries.
A source close to the government further disclosed that contrary to public perception that the money borrowed and approved to the state government by Fidelity Bank and the Paris Club refund were for the payment of workers, the reverse is the case as Governor Yahaya bello has since diverted the funds to his private pocket. I is very visible that there is no aspect of the state economy that has any significant development, even the roads Governor Bello plies daily are nothing to speak of as many Kogi indigenes lament daily about the absence of industries and extreme decay of the educational sector in the state.
