Connect with us

News

UBEB chair in alleged contract scam, may face EFCC

Published

on

The chairman of the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Alhaji Barau Umar Ningi, is alleged to have misappropriated hundreds of millions meant for the payment of local contractors.

Ripples was reliably informed that some indigenous contractors who were yet to be paid for contracts executed blew the whistle on Ningi.

The contractors, Ripples learnt, among other things, accused the Board Chairman of favoritism in effecting payment of jobs executed by them.

Confirming this development, a group of contractors who would not be named, disclosed that most of the jobs executed by local contractors in the last two years were yet to be paid by the Ningi-led UBEB.

Majority of the contracts, the sources insisted, are usually funded through counterpart funds under the Special Grants projects, thus they found it worrisome that these contracts were yet to be paid for.

The contractors further stressed that this was the first time in the history of UBEB that contracts were being awarded without the necessary cash backing.

More worrisome the contractors said, is the fact that they were coerced into paying 25 per cent of the contract sum as a precondition for the contract awards, which is why they are afraid of the prospect of losing their money altogether.

The contractors further alleged that the chairman was in league with a finance company based in Wuse II district of Abuja to convert the funds meant for the payment of jobs for his personal use.

The contractors claimed that the chairman was busy awarding new contracts to companies with strong ties to him and using the funds meant for the payment for earlier jobs to settle the new contracts. They also alleged that most of the new contracts being awarded may never be executed as the monies are diverted to his accounts.

The contractors who said they were prepared to go to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as they have the records of the contractors the chairman was allegedly using to siphon funds for jobs not executed, threatened go public with the names at the appropriate time.

Ripples however learnt that the FCT UBEB chairman reportedly invited some executive members of the local contractors where he allegedly “settled them” but also told them in confidence that the non-payment for jobs done was as a result of the fact that money was diverted by top officials of the FCT for campaign purposes in the last election.

Contacted for his reaction, Ningi said he would respond at the appropriate time.

-Ali Smart

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now