Zamfara govt accuses Tinubu’s minister Matawalle of squandering over N1bn

The Zamfara state government has freshly accused former governor Bello Matawalle of misusing over one billion Naira on an incomplete catering rest house.

The former governor, now the state minister for defence, was accused of mishandling funds amounting to 1,011,801,545.79 billion Naira meant to construct Gusau Motel, a catering and hotel services centre in the state capital.

Since becoming minister, Matawalle has been accused of misappropriation by the Zamfara state government.

Spokesperson to the state governor, Sulaiman Bala Idris, in a statement issued on Wednesday, November 8, called for Matawalle to clarify the disbursement of 93% of the funds to 180 CIRCLE CONSTRUCTION & ENGINEERING LTD for a project valued at 1,149,288,084.25 billion Naira.

As contained in the statement made available to Legit.ng, the Zamfara state government said it aims to foster transparency and accountability and discourage financial misconduct among public officials by publicly disclosing its findings.

The statement reads partly: "In the interest of transparency, the Zamfara State Government deems it a responsibility to expose the numerous shady projects initiated by the immediate past administration of Bello Matawalle with the intention of misusing State funds."

Matawalle's alleged misappropriation

The statement alleged that earlier on July 16, 2020, during Matawalle's administration, a contract was granted to 180 Circle Engineering Construction and Engineering LTD to build Gusau Motel, a catering and hotel service centre in Gusau.

The contract, amounting to N1,149,288,084.25, was awarded, and on August 7, 2020, Matawalle allegedly approved a mobilization fee payment of N344,786,425.27 to the firm.

According to the state government, the contractor vanished after receiving the payment and neglected on-site work for a year, constituting a significant breach of financial regulations by Matawalle.

A year later, the contractor returned to the site, but the Ministry of Works mandated a written commitment from them to avoid a repetition of such misconduct, the government said.

The statement continued: “For the record, the public should take note of the following payments with the date of disbursements: On the 06 of July 2021, Bello Matawalle released the sum of N100,420,259.62 to 180 Circle Engineering Construction and Engineering LTD. On 27 August 2021, the construction firm received N257,060,936.72. On the 27th of August 2021, the Ministry of Finance paid N185,250,000.00 to the contractor.

“Furthermore, on the 24th of March 2022, the Ministry of Finance released the sum of N20,000,000.00 to 180 Circle Engineering Construction and Engineering LTD, totalling 1,011,801,545.79 billion Naira."

The state government further claimed that even though the funds allocated for the construction project were unlawfully given to the contractor, work on the multi-purpose hall, restaurant, laundry, badminton court, swimming pool, estate roads, landscaping, electrification, water distribution, and perimeter fence hasn't started.

Based on the Ministry of Works and Transport valuation certificates, the statement alleged that N1,011,801,545.79 has been verified and disbursed, equivalent to 93% of the contract amount.