Governor Aminu Masari has revealed that he met Katsina State in a total financial mess when he assumed office on May 29, 2015.
Speaking during an interactive session with newsmen on Thursday in Katsina, Masari said there was high level of nepotism and selfishness in the state, adding that his team is yet to uncover all the financial misdemeanours by officials of the past administration of Ibrahim Shema.
“We discovered that financial recklessness was the order of the day, with persons giving approvals of millions of naira on plain sheets of papers and without due process. In the local government, about N6.2bn is owed pensioners, I met a N15bn foreign debt, over hundreds of different state accounts that government was not even aware of”, he said.
Masari further said local government councils will be dissolved following due procedures establishing them and that all those found wanting in the ongoing investigation will be asked to refund money in their custody.
“I had to sack the executive chairman of SUBEB, when I found that over N700m was diverted. We are uncovering more and we shall deal with them accordingly”, he said.
The governor assured that the findings will be made public as soon as investigations are completed and that all those involved will be given fair hearing.
The mess is pervasive. Imagine how people embezzled government treasury as if the treasury belongs to them? We look forward to see from you the reactions on those who were found guilty of the offences. Long life ABM! Long life APC!