Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan, Head of Federal Civil Service

Dr. Muhammed Bello, the ex Perm Sec of Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Devlopment

(NNP) The purchase of an uncompleted building for N7 billion by the former permanent secretary to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (now permanent secretary to the Ministry of Science and Technology), Dr. Mohammed Bello, has commanded the interest of the Federal Government. The FG through the head of the federal civil service, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, has queried the permanent secretary for explanation for the purchase of the building it is calling a “uncompleted carcass.”

The query was contained in a leaked document that was presented to the permanent secretary on May 11, 2020. It was titled “Allegations of acts of serious misconduct in your former post of permanent secretary in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development: Preliminary letter/query.”

It is alleged that Bello supervised the purchase of the building while still at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. In addition to the purchase in question, Dr. Bello was accused of purchasing seven deep drilling rigs designed to dig boreholes for a whooping sum of N1.3 billion and distributed them to persons in what appeared to be shady deals.

The Head of Federal Civil Service, Dr. Yemi-Esan, noted that the query was initiated on the order of President Buhari and gave Dr. Bello 72 hours to respond. The full content of the query is provided below –

“The attention of Mr President has been drawn to the acts of serious misconduct against you in your former post as the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on which he has given further directive.

“Specifically, it was alleged that: (a) in spite of the budgetary release of the N98,405,763,678.68 in 2018 (which represents 99.44 of 2018 appropriation), you did not take necessary action to pay the eligible contractors which led to the ministry having an outstanding contractual liability in the sum of N48.429,543,895.722.

“(b) under your leadership as the accounting officer, the ministry utilised the entire 2019 first quarter release of N7,737,208, 135.18 to pay for the 2018 contracts that were fully funded in 2018 which constitutes virement without authority:

“(c) as accounting officer, you oversaw a transaction for the purchase of a building for the use of the ministry at the sum of N7,044,746,264.06 without the conduct of the mandatory statutory structural and mechanical integrity tests: and prior approval of the FCDA Public Building Department: the building was eventually found to be an uncompleted carcass requiring billions of naira to complete and make safe for occupation;

“(f) under your watch as the accounting officer, the ministry procured seven deep drilling rigs for borehole at an average cost of N300,000,000. 00 without recourse to the Federal Executive Council;

“(e) and in April, 2019, you gave out the seven rigs procured at over NI .3 billion  to some individuals under fraudulent arrangements, without the approval of the minister; and one of the rigs linked to you is yet to be returned despite several written reminders; and

“(f) you misapplied the intervention funds approved for the purchase of strategic grains and the establishment of the Rural Grazing Area Settlements in violation of extent Financial Regulations; two of such misapplications are:

“i. the use of N2.026,838,775.25 to pay contractors and execute programmes from the funds released for emergency procurement of strategic grains which is unrelated to the purpose of the funds.

“ii. the use of N3,527, 300, 419.06 for the payment of questionable contracts awarded under the 2018 appropriation from the rural grazing area settlement scheme which is not related to the purpose of the funds.”

-New Nigerian Politics