SUBEB Missing Funds: How Jang Lost Grip Of  Shifting Money To Project 1 Account

Yakubu Busari

The trial of former Plateau State Governor, Senator Jonah David Jang and a former cashier in the Office of the Secretary to the State Government (OSSG), Yusuf Pam before Justice Christy Dabup of Plateau State High Court, Jos has continued on Tuesday, February 8, 2022 with two witnesses testifying as prosecution witnesses  (PW6), Boyi Kakai Sauka and Mary Anthony Bawa PW7 respectively.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC is prosecuting the duo for alleged criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of Plateau State funds to the tune of N6.3 billion.

Leading in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, presented the (PW6) Boyi Kakai Sauka, a retiree from Ministry of Finance referred to as Accountant General of Plateau State from 25th August  2011 to 1st June 2015.

He stated his schedule of duties including custody of all funds, according to the state and payment,  disbursements, and remittances as the case may be approved by the Governor.  

The former Accountant General of the state gave his evidence on how they made disbursements of funds in the state.

“My lord, the preceding of disbursements is as follows.

The ministry (MDA) that has a need of funds institute a memo to the Governor seeking approval, if it’s approves, its forwarded to the Commissioner of Finance who then directs the process and release of funds to the Accountant General.

The Accountant General will check the memo and direct the Director of Treasury,  after processing, it will send the memo through the expenditures control process.

On issues of receiving money from the CBN, Boyi stated that CBN made N220 Million available to all the state of the federation for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Funds (MSME), and CBN then credited Plateau State  with the sum of 2 billion for the purpose it was applied and was credited by CBN into Plateau State Project Account 1 with the Zenith Bank. 

“Immediately the money enter the account, the manager of the Bank came to my office  to inform me about it (the credit) and he requested me to give him mandate to transfer the funds to the Plasmedra Account which was already opened for the purpose. My commissioner was not in office as at that time, but when he came , I told him of the development.

He then briefed the Governor of the credit and told me that the Governor had directed that  he gave the instruction to the manager to transfer the money back to Project 1 account, and bank manager compiled”.

He started further that the 2 billion approved were given to used for payment of the approved loan. 

“Request for approval to borrow funds 2 billion,  it was approved by the governor,” said. 

Asked if he knew SUBEB, and answered yes, that SUBEB was a parastatal of the State government,  “there was a request from the Governor to borrow money from SUBEB in the sum of 900 million but SUBEB was able to loan 750 Million and it’s the Governor that approved the borrowing. 

Issues of classifying Expenditures stated that it was captured in all the budgets of the state during the time he was Accountant General, “I know that classifying expenditures is a subhead under the budget, and it captures in the budget of the state”.

He mentioned to the court that he met E- payment when he assumed office until he left in 2015 when he left E-Payment system was still working. 

On the account that he opened, he mentioned to the Court the signatories to the account as, Accountant General,  Commissioner of Finance and General Manager of Plasmedia was a signatory. While the Director of Treasury and Accountant General are the signatories to project 1 account. 

On (PW7) Mary Anthony Bawa,  who works at the  Ministry of Finance, Office of Accountant General evidence,  stated that she was at SUBEB,  as the Director finance and supply and she was in that office from March  2015 – August  2015, she raised mandates and made returns of all payments made. 

According to her “we had a tender board meeting which  I was part of it, SUBEB  handled the local government education authority and intervention funds meant for construction of schools supply furniture and carpentry buildings, made payments to teachers using  E- Payment accounts.

The payment of teachers salaries,  we get money from the intervention funds which is a contribution funds from State and Federal, Matching grant was the intervention funds and they have a committee for disbursing the funds” said. 

“My lord the documents were only handed over to me, apart from the 2 billion, there was another 750 million which was during my time. There was request and approval for it, and there are documents for those request and approval my lord”. 

Prosecution counsel, tender CTC of the request and approval of the loans to court as exhibits. 

The request to borrow funds from the Commissioner of Finance   On 30th April, 2015. “Request for approval to borrow funds in the sum of 1 billion, but only 400 Million was eventually approved,” said. 

On 19th June  2014 “request for approval to borrow 2 billion from SUBEB was approved by the Governor,  my boss minuted it to the secretary that the 2 billion be approved as a loan based on the Governor approval “.

On 5th March  2015 “approval of 900 million by the Governor. The Chairman minuted to the secretary that the loan of 750 million is approved based on the Governor’s approval “.

The Defence counsels to 1st and 2nd defendants cross-examine the witnesses and the Court adjourned the case for continuation of trial till tomorrow. 

Jang and Pam were first arraigned in June 2018, on 17-count charges bordering on misappropriation of funds, criminal breach of trust, and taking corrupt advantages to the tune of N30,236,024,219.88 (Thirty Billion, Two Hundred and Thirty-Six Million, Twenty-Four Thousand, Two Hundred and Nineteen Naira, Eighty-Eight kobo), and re-arraigned in February this year, following the re-assignment of the case to Justice Dabup by the state’s chief judge, Justice Yakubu Dakwak after the initial trial judge, Justice Daniel Longji, on his last day on the bench (December 29, 2019), dismissed the de