By Aideloje Ojo
Minna
The leader of the Chanchaga Local Government Legislature, Yehuza Saidu Etsu has claimed that the legislative council is not aware of the whereabouts of the N395m accrued from the two percent monthly allocations to Minna Development Fund from December 2022 to June 2025.
Etsu stated this as the star witness (CW1) on Monday at the hearing of the Investigative Committee probing allegations of gross misconduct and misappropriation of funds against the suspended Chairman of the Council, Honourable Aminu Ladan by the councillors.
Presented by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and lead Counsel to the committee, Usman Nuraini Baba, the legislative leader accused the suspended Chairman of committing nine infractions against the Niger State Local Government laws.
He listed the infractions to include gross misconduct and misappropriation of council funds, illegal allocation of market plots, refusal of directors to appear before the legislative council, lack of accountability on the Minna Development Fund, illegal award of contracts, absence of Finance and General Purpose Committee meeting and failure to honour invitations by the local government legislators.
According to him, the Minna development fund is a monthly allocation of N20m from the ministry of local government tagged two percent and meant to augment primary schools and health facilities which are overstretched by the population of the city as the capital city of the state.
He said, “from December 2022 to June 2025, the total sum of N395m has been received by the council through the ministry of local government in which we the local government legislators do not know how the money was spent. In fact the money has disappeared “.
However under cross examination by Anthony Orifumishe, lead Counsel to the suspended chairman, Honourable Etsu told the committee on Tuesday that he is aware that there were some months in which the funds were not released.
The leader also said that there was no evaluation report on the extent of work done on a project which he had earlier claimed was at 40% completion despite having released money for 90% completion level by the council.
The lead Counsel to the committee presented five witnesses in the matter including council secretary, former and present council directors of department of works and the immediate past leader of the Chanchaga Local Government Legislature.
