After claiming the government had recovered stolen funds from past political office holders in the state, who have been apprehended so far, the Niger State House of Assembly has collectively asked the Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, to furnish it with full details of funds allegedly recovered.
In a decision on Tuesday, the House said the details must include the names of those that stole and refunded the money and also the exact amount recovered so far.
This is a follow up to a recent call by the Peoples Democratic Party in the State asking the Governor Bello-led administration to make public the names of those that have refunded stolen money to the state.
It should be recalled that before traveling out of the state last week, Governor Bello in an interview he granted selected journalists claimed that the administration had recovered over N700 million from some politicians of the last administration.
He added that more monies would be paid back to the government soon by these people.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, Alhaji Abdullahi Mamagi, who made the position of the legislators known, said the decision of the House was necessary to enable the people of Niger State know how much was exactly recovered.
Mamagi said the Assembly had therefore directed the Chairman of the state Board of Internal Revenue, the Commissioner for Finance and the Officer-in-Charge of the state Fiscal Responsibility Commission and Procurement Board to submit the details to the clerk of the Assembly immediately.
He said the state was grappling with an almost empty treasury, which had resulted in inactivity by virtually all sector of the state’s economy.
According to him: “The amount recovered would go a long way to propel the various organs of the government to action if the money was brought into the central pool and shared according to laid down rules.
“Probity must be entrenched in government’s business and we want to start with the recovered loot.”
The Deputy State Chairman of the PDP, Barrister Tanko Beji, speaking in similar vein said it was not enough for the Governor to announce that a certain amount of money had been recovered.
According to Beji: “The governor should let the people know those that made the refund and where the money is being kept and or where the money is.”
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