Ex-gov, Ahmed, planned offsetting LG workers’ backlog with N4.8bn tax refund – Former commissioner

By Mumini AbdulKareem

Immediate past governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed had
concluded plans to use the tax refund paid to the state by the Federal
Government few days to the end of his administration in May to defray
arrears of local government workers.
This much was revealed by a former commissioner for Information, Hon
Tunji Morounfoye while featuring on a radio programme yesterday.
His position contradicted the stand of the present administration that
the N4.8bn refund inherited by Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq had
been included to fund the 2019 budget deficit past by the 8th
Assembly.
Morounfoye while responding to some callers who phoned in during the
programme noted that he was aware that the last administration had
concluded plans to use the money to offset at least four months from
the salary backlog owed local government workers in the state.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) reportedly stopped
the last administration from accessing the fund, a situation which
Moronfoye, who also served as special adviser to the immediate past
governor frowned at describing it as unconstitutional.
“I am a member of the last government and I can tell you that the
governor has concluded plans to use the tax refund to defray four
months out of the backlog owed local government workers. But the EFCC
that time denied the government access to the money while the tenure
had not expired”, he added.
Recall that Governor Abdulrazaq who spoke through his Chief Press
Secretary (CPS), Rafiu Ajakaye said the recent releases of fund for
the repair of road and water amounting to over N40m were deducted from
the tax refund adding that the money was not a windfall.
He said: “Now, you must understand that the Kwara State Government has
2019 budget which was signed into law by former Governor Abdulfatah
Ahmed. The budget is a legal proposal which requires cash backing for
implementation.
“To that extent, the tax refund is being used to fund budget deficits.
It is not a windfall. It is going into funding the budget as passed by
the State House of Assembly and assented to by the former governor.
“For instance, the 2019 budget provided for the rehabilitation of the
10 roads that the Kwara State Road Maintenance Agency (KWARMA) is
working on. But there was no cash backing for it. The Governor,
realising the importance of fixing the roads, released N20m to fund
the rehabilitation of the roads.
“It is the same thing for the money recently released for the water
corporation. There was appropriation for such intervention but there
was no cash backing for it by the previous administration. Giving the
overriding importance of water to our existence, the Governor has
released the money since it had already been appropriated for in the
2019 budget. So yes, the money released for the roads and water were
from the tax refunds, he noted.