Taraba commissioner denies diverting N36.9m local govt funds

Taraba State Commissioner for Information and Re-Orientation, Barr. Anthony Danburam has denied the allegation that he diverted N36.999m meant for the execution of a project during his tenure as chairman of Lau local government.

Damburum who addressed journalists in his office on Wednesday in Jalingo, while reacting to a report in Leadership newspaper crediting to a former labour leader in the state, Mr. Ishaku Magaji who accused him of pocketing N36, 999, 999.99m meant for the execution of a project in Lau, during his tenure as chairman of the local government.

The Commissioner challenged the former labour leader to come clear with his allegation by naming the particular project he diverted the money meant for its execution.

He explained that throughout his tenure as chairman of Lau, he executed only two projects and monies were not given to him directly, rather, Bureau for local government released the money through ALGON and the projects were executed.

“The projects I proposed to execute and monies were released were the rehabilitation of 30Km Lau-Lankaviri road and the 29Km Abbare-Kunini road.

“The Abbare Kunini road was awarded at the cost of N30m. We paid N15m and the contractor bulldozed the road from Abbare to Tunada and constructed 12 corvettes which are visible for everyone to see.

“The contract was abandoned after governor Danbaba Sunati had an accident as no further project funds were released to local governments. All the records are with the local government auditor, so I don’t know when Magaji Ishaku became the auditor of Lau local government. He should tell the world the project I diverted money for its execution,” he said.

Danburam further explained that in his handover note, he left a liability of N30million with N20million being a revolving over draft he collected to enable him paid salaries of workers and N10million long term long payable in 18 months with N681,771.29 as monthly repayment.

“As chairman of Lau local government, I was not a signatory to the account of the local government. My transparency in financial management earned me award of the best performing local government chairman on the implementation of SURE-P. I surprise about this fabricated lies against me.”

The commissioner then alleged that the former labour leader pocketed huge sums of money from the local government staff screening exercise between 2012 and 2013 and called on him to refund the money to the affected local governments in the state.

“I want to call on the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to invite the former labour leader to refund the money accrued from the local government staff verification between 2012 and 2013 where he diverted huge sums of money to his private account as chairman of the committee.”