Meet Fintiri, the governor who ruled for 3 months and stole N1.9 billion

Meet Fintiri, the governor who ruled for 3 months and stole N1.9 billion

Today is the 9th day that former Adamawa State governor Ahmadu Fintiri is in EFCC detention. Curiously, our national dailies are saying little (except for stories in the Nation and Daily Trust), likely thanks to brown-envelope journalism. As we saw with Saraki, our ex-governors have enough money to silence the press and even buy popularity. So, I made my own inquiries and learnt of some facts.

Governor Murtala Nyako had proposed to build a Faculty of Law at the Adamawa State University, to be sited at the former Teachers' College Yola. Nyako budgeted N1.9 billion for the project in 2014 and kept the funds in a dedicated account. Enter Fintiri as acting governor after the July 2014 impeachments of both Nyako and his deputy Bala Ngilari. Gov. Fintiri transferred the proposed faculty from Yola to the Mubi campus of ADSU and laid the foundation stone. That was all about it, because he then stole all N1.9 billion meant for the project.

Stupidly, Fintiri used his executive powers to transfer the funds to the bank account of his private company Mayim Construction Ltd - ostensibly for a road project - from where he then made payments for the purchase of a terrace house at No.7, Gana Street, Maitama, Abuja (see picture). That house was recently confiscated by the EFCC, and is under 24-hour police guard. Fintiri also purchased Highland Tea, a tea-manufacturing company located on the Mambilla Plateau and jointly owned by Adamawa and Taraba states. The tea company was owing N600 million to the Bank of Agriculture, which Fintiri paid and became its sole owner. How the Taraba State government turned a blind eye to this atrocious theft is interesting to know, but it must involve another payment.

So, during his 3-month in office, my state governor stole 1.9 billion public funds, deprived my state university of a law faculty, and dispossesed my state of a tea manufacturing company and its vast assets in land and property using my money which he stole in broad daylight. I hope and pray the EFCC prosecutes him successfully and obtains the maximum 7 years imprisonment for theft of public funds and money laundering.

Now, where are the Fintiri supporters? Back in 2014, some of you denied my claim of PDP bribing AD legislators (led by House Speaker Fintiri) $300,000 each to impeach Gov. Nyako. Some even said Fintiri was the best Adamawa governor for his road constructions and street lights. I hope you are now wiser and won't be fooled again with the hasty road projects of a governor newly in office. Did someone also say the Fulanis are the problems of Adamawa, Yola Fulani especially? Thank God Fintiri is not Fulani.

Dr Nura Alkali