Suswam Sold Benue Shares At Dangote Cement For N5.3bn — Panel

A Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, about a month ago to look into the income and expenditures of the immediate past Governor of the state, Dr Gabriel Suswam, on Friday disclosed that the former governor sold the shares of the state government in Dangote Cement Company in Gboko amounting to the tune of N5.3billion.

The commission made this known through a statement of account operated by the state Ministry of Finance in a transaction that took place by the Ministry at Zenith Bank in February this year. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry,Mrs. Ruth Ijir who was invited to appear before the commission,gave a statement of account that revealed details of withdrawals and remittances of the above amount from the shares between 2007 and 2015.
The Commission which has collected memoirs submitted to it by the eighteen Ministries of the past administration, Departments and Agencies, invited various witnesses to testify before it.
The first to appear before the Commission was the Assistant Director, Treasury, in the Ministry of Finance, Mr Gabriel Ameh who was asked series of questions on the financial transactions (expenditures) of the past regime from May 29, 2007 to May 29, 2015.
He (Ameh) was specifically requested to explain why and how the sum of N2.5 Billion was released to the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs as soft loan between 19th April, 2011, 8th March, 2011and 18th November, 2013.
He is also expected to tell the Commission in evidence the authority that directed the release of such funds to the Bureau and to explain the purpose it was meant for.
The state Head of Service, Mr. Adaikwu Iwuanta ,who appeared with some Permanent Secretaries from the office of the Head of Service to testify, were directed to go and put their records straight after it was discovered they were not fully equipped with the required information to tender before the Commission.
Faced with these challenges, the Commission adjourned sitting to the 28th Sept, 2015 at 10 am.

Source The Champion{DONALD KUMUN, Makurdi]