By Raheem Akingbolu
People of Southern Taraba Senatorial district, who voted in Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, into the National Assembly are currently gnatshing their teeth, regretting the support they once unanimously given to their own man.
Trouble started when he innocent residents of the district uncovered the secret of how the man they so much loved diverted over N250 million meant for their constituency projects.
To this end, the people decided to wield the big stick by filling a petition at the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) asking the government anti-corruption agency to probe alleged diversion and embezzlement of constituency projects funds between 2017 and 2020 by the embattled Lawmaker.
Among other things, the residents are accusing Bwacha of converting some zonal intervention projects approved and funded for Taraba South Senatorial District into private properties.
The constituents in a petition addressed to the EFCC said money for security vans for the area was used to purchased private vehicles for some Traditional rulers in the area, while funds for empowerment of youths and women for the area in tune of 100 Million were embezzled by Senator Bwacha and the executing contractors who are the lawmaker’s cronies.
They revealed that some other projects were also criminally diverted and not executed for the people of the Constituency whom the intervention project was meant to benefit.
“From the available records obtained from Tracka and BudgIT, both organizations who are in charge of, monitoring and documenting projects funded by the Federal and State Governments, it is glaring that some projects running to several billions of Naira said to have been executed and delivered in Southern Taraba Senatorial District are not true. They are diverted, abandoned at certain percentages of work, or not executed at all (in many instances), despite being paid for,” the petition by the concerned residents read.
“These were done in connivance with Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, who has the statutory responsibility of monitoring and implementations of these zonal intervention projects, thus shortchanging the people these projects were intended to benefit.”
According to the petitioners, some of the zonal intervention projects approved and funded but diverted and converted into private properties include; procurement of pick up Vans for security patrol to the tune of about 100 Million.
“Despite funds released, the project was partially implemented as many of the vans were diverted and given to traditional rulers. Currently, no security agency in the Southern Zone has received any vehicle for security patrol from the agency or contractor saddled with the responsibility of implementing this project,” the petition revealed.
The Senator also claimed he constructed a fence around Takum Divisional Police Headquarters, through direct labor at the cost of N50 Million.But residents demand an in depth investigation on such amount used to construct just a fence.
The Residents said multiple provisions labeled as empowerment programs, which do not have a direct impact on the citizens and by their very nature are also highly prone to fraud as the disbursement is at the discretion of the officials.
A typical example is where empowerment and peace sensitization programs for unidentified women gulped a whopping sum of over N100 million only. In this instance, despite the allocation of funds, the program never held."
The concerned group also called for a proper investigation on the financial breakdown of the multi-million Naira projects that was captured in the year 2017 and 2018 budget for Biotech Resources Center at Tunari and who are the contractors?
Others include construction of a Federal University Wukari Staff School which was reportedly diverted to his personal property by entering a Partnership Agreement with the Federal University Wukari to own and collect fees from the University Staff School for 28 years.
“The Federal University Wukari Staff School which the Federal Government released about N500 Million for the building of a University Staff School in 2018 and 2019 through the Zonal Intervention Projects.
"Also the Federal Government in 2017 funded the purchase of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment for the University Staff School in the tune of N20 Million, but Senator Bwacha took ownership of the University Staff School under a dubious Public Private Partnership Agreement."
Another instance is the developments of a Portal for the University Staff School funded by the Federal Government to the tune of N50 Million . The project despite the fund being released was not executed.
Following Abdulrasheed Bawa, the new EFCC chairman’s commitment to rid Nigeria of corruption, the Constituency appealed for a thorough investigation on the alleged fraud perpetrated against the good people of Southern Taraba Senatorial District and the Federal Government of Nigeria by Senator Emmanuel Bwacha.
