Kwara ranks lowest in State's chart as Gov blasts Ahmed-led PDP govt - UBEC
The state results chart published by UBEC and made accessible to the Nigeria News Agency (NAN) in Ilorin on Monday listed Jigawa as the first to access 94% of its fund.
In UBEC, Ogun and Kwara were identified as non-performing having accessed only 53% of their N12.04 billion.
Borno, Adamawa, Gombe State, Delta, Kebbi, Lagos, Osun, Oyo State, Rivers, Sokoto State, Taraba, Cross Rivers and FCT have been identified as the top-performing state with 88% of the funds used and only N1,47 trillion left to be accessed.
Kaduna, Anambra, Kano, Kastina, Ondo, Zamfara, Bauchi, Niger, Akwa Ibom, Yobe and Nasarawa's 11 countries were identified as performing countries with 77 percent of their resources used and the remaining N2.1 trillion left to be accessed.
The average performance score of Edo, Benue, Imo, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Bayelsa, Plateau, Abia and Enugu State ranged from 71% to 59%.
Reacting to the score, AbdulRazaq AbdulRahman's Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye said he was not surprised that Kwara was ranked lowest in the UBEC results chart.
Ajakaye said the chart clearly vindicated the allegation made by the governor that under Abdulfatah Ahmed's administration the N1.5 billion UBEC fund was diverted.
He said it was unsustainable for an administration that got N22 billion Paris Club refund and additional N3.4 billion bailout funds that the administration claimed it used the N1.5 billion to pay workers ' wages.
"We regret to say that for the criminal neglect of the schools, the last administration can not be forgiven because the effects are there for all to see.
"As at 30 April 2019, under the UBEC Matching Grant Disbursement Performance, Kwara had the worst ranking.
"This record is written. This is the legacy of Kwara State's former governor and PDP administration, "said Ajakaye.
He added that the assertion of the former governor that he was unaware of the blacklisting of the state was wrong.
Ajakaye said: "The diversion of the N1.5 billion UBEC fund and the agency's decision to bar the state from further transactions until amounts have been diverted is nothing but Kwara State's formal blacklist.
"UBEC authorities made it clear that Kwara's claim that it used the funds to pay employees was investigated and discovered the same to be incorrect.
"The UBEC stance is further corroborated by either abandoning or not starting at all at least 49 college initiatives captured under the fund.
"Four lengthy years have passed since Kwara was blacklisted due to the irresponsible diversion of UBEC funds in 2013.
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"Between 2015 and now, under the administration of Muhammadu Buhari, Kwara got over N22 billion in Paris Club refund and an extra N4.3 billion in bailout.
"Why did they not use some of that cash to reimburse the N450million transferred from the UBEC fund?
"Why did it take so long to remedy an unfortunate scenario that had happened in 2015 if the children's future means so much to the administration?”
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