Atiku vs Buhari: Mama Taraba spent N12m on ghost projects – Nigerian govt

The Nigerian government has accused Minister of Women
Affairs and Social Development , Aisha Alhassan (Mama
Taraba) of spending N12m on ‘familiarisation visits’ to
unnamed skill acquisition centres in 2015.

This is contained in a report from the Auditor-General’s office.

The report came days after Mama Taraba declared support for the presidential ambition of former vice president Atiku
Abubakar.

According to ERICGOSSIP.COM, part of the funds was spent on November 11, 2015, the day the minister was officially sworn-in.

The report which contains observations made on the underlying accounting records of ministries, departments and other agencies of government, is the latest from the Auditor-
General’s office.

It said, “an audit investigation established that the purported
acclaimed appraisal visits to skill acquisition centres were never undertaken.”

The audit committee observed that: ‘‘all the attached receipts
for fuelling did not indicate quantity in litres, the rate per litre,
dates of purchase and vehicle number of the fuelled vehicles.

“The International hotel receipt of 23/11/15 which was issued
for the hiring of a mini-bus from a hotel to unnamed project
sites rendered the receipts doubtful.

”Hiring of cars to Project Sites at ridiculous rates of between
N75,000.00 and N77,000.00 for two days as appeared on
receipts numbers 910 of 22/11/15, 107 of 24/11/15, 0416 of
27/11/15, 531 of 25/11/15, is contrary to exercise of the due
economy in line with the provision of Financial Regulation 415.”

Reports of the investigation by the audit committee revealed
that part of the expenses for the verification visits was made
on the day Mrs. Alhassan was sworn in.

”Receipt number 5206 of 11/11/2015, the date the Minister
was sworn in by the President of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria and receipt number 11622 of 8th of November, 2015
with amount N100,000.00 respectively are not clear. The two
receipts were for servicing of a vehicle two times within 3
days,’’ the report noted.