The Governor of Niger State and self-styled leader of the defunct group of seven (G7) aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors, Dr. Babangida Aliyu on Thursday asked his commissioners to reconcile their books, saying he was anticipating that his government would be probed.
Aliyu, who made this known while speaking at the signing ceremony of the N12 billion bonds with 14 per cent series fixed rate to be due in 2018 in Government House Minna, the State capital, said if he was held, none of his aides would escape.
He said, “Please commissioners, if they cannot get me, they will try to embarrass me through you. It is very important for you to understand that anybody who wants to get to somebody but cannot, will resort to getting him through people that are close to him.
“I am happy all of you will not escape if they hold me. Please keep your books, make sure you relate very well with your banks because these are the places they will use to track you.”
Aliyu, however, debunked claims that funds from the bond were being channelled to other areas saying, “There is no way you can use bond funds for other things because the disbursement is subjected to the fact that you will reach a certain stage before the fund can be released to you. But I saw somebody writing what he thought was right and lying that we were paying salaries from the bond money, I was shocked”.
Aliyu warned that ignorance should not be an excuse because many people are mischievous.
He said, “The level of ignorance or mischief cannot be underrated so that at any given time, you should be able to explain to people.
“As a one-time Permanent Secretary of the National Planning Commission, I understand what development partners can do because it is counterpart funding and they will not let you steal their money, the same thing with bond issue, you cannot divert these funds to other places.
“This particular N12 billion bond that we signed was only to complete the roads we started sometime ago, and I hope the people will appreciate that this is transparent and you can walk confidently anywhere”.
Speaking earlier, Chief Executive Officer of Planet Capital House, Mr. Efe Akhigbe, who is also the issuer of the bond, said he was impressed with the Niger State Government for meeting all the requirements for acquiring the bond.
He, however, advised that the bond funds be directed towards the necessary area adding, “It will attract investors and boost the economy of the state”.
