Benue Governorship Aspirant To Face Probe For Diverting N150million While He Served As Perm Sec.

Gov. Gabriel Suswam of Benue State has ordered an immediate probe into the accounts and transactions of the state's local government pensions commission following the discovery of funds missing at the commission amounting to N150 million.

The funds are reported to have gone missing during the tenure of Prince Andy Uwouku as Permanent Secretary in charge of the commission.
Andy Uwouku retired from the Benue State Civil Service as Permanent Secretary, with the Local Government Pensions Commission being his his last duty post, and his retirement, according to him, was to afford him leeway to contest for the governorship of the state, in compliance with a directive by the state governor.

Investigations reveal that the sum of N150 million was diverted by the Permanent Secretary, Andy Uwouku and deposited in a slush account he operated with Skye Bank, while the statutory account of the Pensions commission is domiciled with Keystone Bank, but the matter came up for questioning when he was handing over at the commission, following his retirement.

According to sources, the state's local government pensions board immediately swung into action on discovery of the missing funds, and after thorough investigations the board, in its report, indicted the Permanent Secretary, Prince Andy Akaayar Uwouku, and forwarded its findings duly to the Governor of the state, Gabriel Suswam..

The Local Government Pensions Board has as its chairman, Comrade Richard Gbande, who is the Chairman of the state's Local Government Service Commission, while the Permanent Secretary in the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chairman of the state's chapter of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Permanent Secretary for Establishment, and a representative of the Bureau of Internal Affairs and Special Duties are members.
Following the report of the pensions board, Gov. Suswam is said to have directed the Head of Service of the state to conduct a thorough investigation of the matter and report to him with utmost dispatch.
The Head of service, Mr. Terna Ahua, according to findings, has since constituted an administrative panel to probe the tenure of Prince Andy Uwouku as Permanent Secretary at the Local Government Pensions Commission.
Andy Uwouku, a 2nd cousin of Governor Gabriel Suswam is running for the governorship of Benue State in next years general elections, and he was prior to his being posted to the pensions commission, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, during which period there erupted a scandal of diversion and sale of huge quantities of fertiliser meant for farmers in the state.

By: Tyolumun Ayinaga Ortom