Former Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State has been accused by the state government of misappropriating over a billion naira for an abandoned hotel project.
The current spokesperson to Governor Dauda Lawal, Sulaiman Bala Idris, on Wednesday, released documents that allegedly show how Matawalle illegally paid 93% of the approved contract cost to 180 Circle Engineering Construction and Engineering Ltd for a hotel project that is less than 30% complete.
The Zamfara State Government has expressed its concern regarding the financial recklessness of the previous administration and aims to promote transparency and accountability among public officials.
In a statement, Idris called on Matawalle to explain the payment and shed light on the progress of the project.
According to the statement, Matawalle approved the payment of mobilization fees amounting to N344,786,425.27 to the contractor in August 2020.
However, the contractor disappeared after receiving the payment and did not perform any on-site work for a year.
After their return to the site, they were instructed by the Ministry of Works to provide a written commitment to avoid such behavior in the future.
The statement in part reads “In the interest of transparency, the Zamfara State Government deems it a responsibility to expose the numerous shady projects initiated by the immediate past administration of Bello Matawalle with the intention of misusing State funds.
“On July 16th, 2020, the previous administration of Bello Matawalle awarded a contract to 180 Circle Engineering Construction and Engineering LTD. The contract was to construct a catering and hotel service centre (Gusau Motel) in Gusau. The total cost of the contract was N1,149,288,084.25.
“On August 7th, 2020, Bello Matawalle approved the payment of mobilisation fees to the firm. The amount approved was N344,786,425.27. However, the contractor disappeared after receiving the payment and did not perform on-site work for a year. This action by Bello Matawalle was a gross violation of financial regulations.
“After a year, the contractor returned to the site but was instructed by the Ministry of Works to provide a written commitment not to repeat such behaviour. This incident indicates the type of leadership prevalent in a government like Matawalle’s.
“For the record, the public should take note of the following payments with the dates of disbursements: On the 06 of July 2021, Bello Matawalle released the sum of N100,420,259.62 to 180 Circle Engineering Construction and Engineering LTD. On 27 August 2021, the construction firm received N257,060,936.72. On the 27th of August 2021, the Ministry of Finance paid N185,250,000.00 to the contractor.
“Furthermore, on the 24th of March 2022, the Ministry of Finance released the sum of N20,000,000.00 to 180 Circle Engineering Construction and Engineering LTD, totalling 1,011,801,545.79 billion Naira.
According to the statement, despite the illegal disbursement of funds to the contractor, the construction of the hotel services center has not yet commenced.
Payments totaling N1,011,801,545.79 billion Naira were made to the contractor, representing 93% of the total contract sum.
However, the work done on-site only accounts for 29.94% of the total progress.
Here are photos of the released documents
