The Benue State government has raised allegations against the previous administration led by former Governor Samuel Ortom, accusing it of maintaining over 600 undisclosed bank accounts for the state. However, only 25 of these accounts were disclosed to his successor, Governor Father Hyacinth Alia, during the handover.
During a visit by members of the State Correspondents’ Chapel, Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), to the Commissioner for Finance and Budget Planning, Michael Oglegba, in his office in Makurdi on Tuesday, this revelation came to light. It was cited as the reason why Governor Hyacinth Alia took the step of freezing all government accounts upon assuming office.
The finance commissioner stated that when the new administration inquired about the state’s accounts and requested bank statements, they were only provided with information on approximately 25 bank accounts. However, a cursory review of the Nigerian Inter Bank System revealed that the Benue Government had more than 600 accounts.
Oglegba explained, “When we came in, we asked for the accounts and bank statements and we were presented with about 25 bank accounts. A casual look at the Nigerian Inter Bank System showed that Benue Government had more than 600 accounts. So the Governor needed to freeze those accounts to know exactly what was happening.”
In addition to the bank account discrepancies, Oglegba also addressed the state’s debt profile, asserting that the Alia government inherited debts exceeding N359 billion, which included outstanding Local Government Arrears.
“The debts owed by the state itself were in excess of N200 billion. This includes local and foreign debts. However, the LGAs also have their own debts, unpaid salaries, pensions, gratuities, and local contractors that made up the other N150 billion,” he added.
Former Governor Ortom, who left office in May, had previously denied leaving behind a debt of N359 billion. He described the allegation as a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and stressed that the actual debt situation at the time of his exit was significantly lower at N187.56 billion.