NGF Shocker: Top Official Blows the Whistle on Alleged Financial Mismanagement

Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, the Director of Media and Public Affairs at the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), has exposed alleged financial fraud and recklessness within the NGF Secretariat in Abuja.

Barkindo, in a leaked letter addressed to NGF Chairman and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq, painted a grim picture of the NGF, claiming it has become more transactional than developmental. He accused the forum of serving as a “conduit pipe for a few individuals” rather than being an agent of change.

Calling for a forensic audit of all NGF accounts, Barkindo revealed that the NGF’s accounts had not undergone auditing for over a decade. He argued that the Forum, with an annual income exceeding three billion Naira, lacked a qualified accountant, leading to financial mismanagement.

“The secretariat’s accounts have not been audited in the last decade, and the phony auditors have confessed that the job they are doing is a wash,” Barkindo stated in the letter. He pointed out instances of financial discrepancies, including a N630 million deduction from a N5 billion infrastructure support fund, creating discord among governors.

Barkindo further disclosed that during the Paris-London Club transaction, where the NGF earned close to N19 billion, the staff was promised N850 million in rewards. He claimed this amount was to be provided by the then NGF Chairman, Governor Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar of Zamfara State.

The letter concluded with a plea for a comprehensive forensic audit of all NGF accounts, especially those opened during crisis periods, to ensure transparency and accountability.

As this scandal unfolds, it raises questions about the financial integrity of one of Nigeria’s prominent political bodies, with potential far-reaching implications for the NGF and its members.