The Nigeria Governors’ Forum has refuted allegations of a crisis within its secretariat, dismissing accusations of financial misconduct by its former Director of Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrazaque Barkindo.

The NGF confirmed that the allegations, raised by Barkindo, are presently under investigation by the police. 

In a statement released on Monday by its Legal Director, Chijioke Chuku, the NGF described Barkindo’s letter as containing inflammatory and misguided allegations.

“Indeed, the NGF is now more transactional than developmental. It is not an agent of change but a conduit pipe for a few individuals

“Millions of naira are stolen daily through spurious over-invoicing. The secretariat accounts have not been audited in the last decade, to say the least, that even the phony auditors invited to mock the auditing process have at various times confessed that the job they are doing for the secretariat is a wash. Has anyone ever wondered why an institution that midwife’s huge monetary deals like the Paris-London refunds does not have a qualified accountant?

“In an organisation that makes over N3bn three annually, the total annual income of its entire staff is N70m. The staff of the Forum are always asking where all the money goes. There is a staff that earns N20,000 a month, $20.

“There are instances. The N630m deductions from the N5bn infrastructure support fund which ended in a shouting bout among governors while you are chairman was a deliberate ploy to make you look bad among your colleagues. The secretariat did not brief you adequately. Their instructions from their master’s house, across the street, was to set booby-traps and obstacles in your path,” the statement read.

Barkindo, in a leaked letter addressed to the Forum’s Chairman and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq, asserted that the NGF is veering toward a transactional rather than developmental focus. 

He accused the Forum of functioning as a conduit for a select few individuals, alleging daily embezzlement through spurious over-invoicing.

The letter further claimed that the NGF’s secretariat accounts have not been audited in the last decade. Barkindo questioned the absence of a qualified accountant in an organization handling substantial financial transactions like the Paris-London refunds.

He also highlighted discrepancies in staff remuneration, citing instances of a staff member earning a meager N20,000 a month or $20.

Addressing the allegations, the NGF Legal Director stated that the supposed “breaking news” has been forwarded to the Forum’s lawyers for advice and necessary action on the defamatory nature of the publications. The NGF emphasized its responsibility to set the record straight and dispel media sensationalism.

The statement clarified that the resignation of the former Director of Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Abdulrazaque Bello Barkindo, on December 7, 2023, has been duly accepted by the Forum. The NGF assured the public, development partners, and friends that there is no crisis within the organization.

The NGF reiterated its commitment to cooperating fully with the police investigation into Barkindo’s allegations, emphasizing the lack of substance in the claims. The organization refrained from engaging in any activity that may interfere with the ongoing investigation and court action initiated by Mr. Barkindo.