Alhaji Nasiru
Ingawa, a former Special Adviser on SURE-P to the former governor of Katsina
State, Alhaji Ibrahim Shema, said that part of the State SURE-P funds were
used
for campaign for the 2015 election.
Ingawa disclosed this in Katsina during
cross-examination before the Katsina State Judicial Commission of Inquiry
chaired by Justice Muhammad Surajo.
Nasir told the commission that a total of
N5.7 billion was withdrawn in cash and he was among the signatories to the
SURE-P accounts during the period.
He said: “Shema used to tell me: `Nasiru,
bring the money I approved for you in a memo to my house in the night, we are
going to use it for politics.’”
According to him, the former governor made it
clear that “all purchases in the department will be made directly and in cash
without going through the tenders’ board”.
He said the former governor would
instruct him to take the cash directly to the permanent secretary, Government
House.
Ingawa told the commission that he had always warned the ex-governor
against bypassing the tenders board.
He also explained that some of SURE-P
programmes were partially implemented while others were not implemented at all.
He cited an example of the empowerment programme in which cash was to be given
to 200 indigents in each of the 34 local government areas of the state as one
of those partially implemented programmes.
He, however, noted that the actual
amount given to each person was N20,000. “For the programmes that were
partially implemented, half of the money went to the programme, while the
remaining amount went to the governor,’’ Nasiru said.
The commission was set up
by Gov. Aminu Masari to investigate alleged misappropriation of SURE-P funds
during the tenure of Shema. The Chairman of the commission adjourned
continuation of cross-examination until Aug. 25. (Vanguardngr)
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