Ex-Kwara Governor Ahmed Accused of Diverting N5.78 Billion UBEC Funds – Witness Testifies

The trial of former Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, and his Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu, took a significant turn as the first prosecution witness (PW1), Abubakar Hassan, testified before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin on Monday, February 17, 2025.  

Hassan, an Assistant Director of Finance at the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), revealed that funds earmarked for UBEC projects in Kwara State were diverted for personal use under the former governor’s administration.  

The Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting both defendants on a 12-count charge of mismanagement and misappropriation of public funds totaling N5.78 billion.  

Abandoned UBEC Projects 
Whilst being led in evidence by prosecution counsel Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, Hassan disclosed that 51 UBEC-approved projects under the 2013 Action Plan were abandoned due to lack of funds, despite UBEC approving and releasing money for their execution.  

“The Projects Monitoring Committee investigated and found that many projects were either unexecuted or abandoned. In May 2018, we wrote to the then-governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, to address these issues, but we received no response,” Hassan stated.  

He further explained that the abandoned projects spanned all 16 Local Government Areas of Kwara State and that on January 6, 2015, N1 billion was illegally loaned from the 2013 UBEC Matching Grant Account with Skye Bank Plc to pay state staff salaries and pensions.  

Illegal Withdrawals from Counterpart Funds
Hassan also testified that on February 18, 2016, the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) withdrew N1.83 billion from the state’s 2014 and 2015 Counterpart Funds. He noted that the withdrawal was unauthorized and solely to qualify the state to access Federal Government UBE Matching Grants.  

“State Matching Grants are not permitted to be borrowed or used outside the approved action plan. These infractions undermined UBEC’s objectives and stalled educational development in the state,” he added.  

EFCC’s Response & Next Steps 
Concerned about the fund diversion, UBEC sent a formal request to the Kwara State Government, demanding documentary evidence on how the funds were utilized. Supporting documents, including fund lodgments from UBEC to Kwara SUBEB, were attached to the letter.  

Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar adjourned the case until February 18, 2025, for cross-examination of the witness.  

Dele Oyewale 
Head, Media & Publicity