EFCC quizzes five staff of Bauchi Scholarship Board over missing funds

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has been investigating five staff of the Bauchi State Scholarship Board over some missing funds from the board’s account.

Chairman of the Bauchi state Scholarship Board, Alhaji Muhammad Hardawa, disclosed this while fielding questions from journalists in Bauchi, on Tuesday.

According to him, “Sometimes in the past, we noticed that some amount of money was missing from our bank account, and we then set up an investigation team on five staff of the board who were involved in some finacial deals. And as a result, we transferred the matter to the EFCC for further investigation. They have since commenced investigation over the matter, and we are now waiting for the outcome of their findings.

The Chairman who spoke through the Permanent Secretary of the Board, Alhaji Yusuf Yerima said, the State Government has approved the sum of N425million for the payment of students’ allowances for year 2011/2012 and the board had already commenced payments of the allowances within and outside the country.

Hardawa said over 500 students, who are indigenes are currently studying abroad and are being sponsored by the state government.

He further stated that the board was making all necessary arrangements to introduce electronic payment system (e-payment) in their effort to reduce malpractices by staff and students, and to ensure a more transparent system.

The Chairman further explained that, between 2010 and 2012, the board had spent 775,109,205 on payment of scholarship allowances of its students.

The statement added that the State Government had came out with a new policy that after graduation, indigenes will be given the opportunity to work for the state for some years before they will be allowed to move on, if they probably wish so.