Alhassan in trouble? AGF probes her for alleged N12m fraud as Gov El’Rufai blames Buhari

Emerging report from the office of the Auditor-General has indicted the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development under Aisha Alhassan of alleged fraud of N11, 700,000 and ordered that the money be refunded to the federation account.

The report is coming just as Alhassan had on Wednesday in an interview with BBC, Hausa service declared that she will support former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for the presidency in 2019 even if President Muhammadu Buhari decides to run for a second term.

In a related development, Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State, on Friday said that President Buhari was to blame for appointing Alhassan a minister against the advice of the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

According to the report, payments amounting to N11, 700, 000 were made by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to enable Minister Alhassan, and some other staff members embark on ‘familiarisation visits’ to undisclosed skill acquisition centres in selected states in 2015.

The report stated that an “audit investigation established that the purported acclaimed visits were never undertaken.”

The report, which is the latest from the Auditor-General’s office and contains observations made on the underlying accounting records of ministries, departments and other agencies of government, noted that part of the funds were spent on November 11, 2015, the day Alhassan was officially sworn-in.

More information on the report revealed other irregularities in payment processes, record keeping and dating of the said visits.

Observations by the audit committee according to the report showed that “all the attached receipts for fuelling did not indicate quantity in litres, the rate per litre, dates of purchase and vehicle number of the fuelled vehicles.

”The International hotel receipt of 23/11/15 which was issued for the hiring of a mini-bus from a hotel to unnamed project sites rendered the receipts doubtful.

”Hiring of cars to project sites at ridiculous rates of between N75,000.00 and N77,000.00 for two days as appeared on receipts numbers 910 of 22/11/15, 107 of 24/11/15, 0416 of 27/11/15, 531 of 25/11/15, is contrary to exercise of the due economy in line with the provision of Financial Regulation 415. More worrisome is the date which appeared on some of the receipts”, the report noted.

Read also: Alhassan says Buhari’s not naive to take her support for Atiku in bad fate

It was further discovered in the audit committee reports that part of the expenses for the verification visits took place the day Alhassan was sworn in.

The report said, “Receipt number 5206 of 11/11/2015, the date the Minister was sworn in by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and receipt number 11622 of 8th of November, 2015 with amount N100, 000.00 respectively are not clear. The two receipts were for servicing of a vehicle two times within 3 days.’’
Sequel to these abnormalities, the Auditor-General has therefore ordered that the ministry refund N11, 700,000 to the federation account.

Meanwhile, Governor el-Rufai of Kaduna, said that President Buhari was warned against appointing Alhassan a minister by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The governor, who said this when he spoke with State House Correspondents at the Villa, condemned the minister’s open rejection of a Buhari presidency in 2019, said that Alhassan has never been in support of Buhari.

According to El-Rufai, her loyalty has always remained with Atiku. He claimed that Alhassan did not vote for Buhari in the party’s presidential primaries in 2015, but noted that whether she would remain in the cabinet or note depended solely on the president.

 

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