Barely 24 hours after they were dropped as nominees to
the board of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission and Related offences
Commission (ICPC), Dr. Saadu Alanamu and Hajiya Maimuna Aliyu have denied fraud
allegations against them.
The two nominees were dropped on Sunday by the Presidency
following a report that they had been under probe by the ICPC.
But in separate statements yesterday, the two nominees
said they were never indicted by the ICPC.
Alanamu, who was chairman of the Governing Council of the
Kwara State College of Education, said he was never indicted for any corrupt
practice at any time when he served in various institutions in Kwara State.
Mrs. Maimuna Aliyu said the allegations against her were
cooked up because she stepped on powerful toes while at Aso Savings and Loans
Plc.
She said her travails were in connection with her
resistance to use Aso Savings to recover the bank’s N1 billion donation to the
campaign funds of former President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2011 elections.
Alanamu said: “First, I must say that appointment into
public office is a trust to serve humanity. I would rather protect my integrity
than take any offer that would rubbish the highest standard I have maintained
in my public service career.
“I was never indicted nor convicted of any offence or
crime by any institution. The records of my stewardship are there in various
institutions I served.
“Even though I am not a politician, I was chairman of
various councils and institutions at different periods, which include Kwara
State Council of Supervisors for Health; Kwara State College of Education,
Kwara State Scholarship Board, Kwara State Rural Water Supply & Sanitation
Agency, Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board, Kwara State Teaching
Service Commission, Governing Council, Kwara State College of Arabic &
Islamic Legal Studies and Governing Council and Kwara State Polytechnic Ilorin.
“When I was nominated for ICPC, I was extremely happy to
have the privilege to serve humanity with utmost level of commitment, sincerity
and honesty. Nevertheless, with the turn of event on the allegations, I
strongly believe the government will conduct thorough investigation over the
allegations.”
Asked if he was ever invited by anti-corruption agencies,
Alanamu said: “Sometime in 2015, members of the board and management of Kwara
State Polytechnic, where I served as the Chairman Governing Council for less
than a year were invited over an allegation that they favoured contractors from
Kwara State for TETFund projects rather than other bidders from outside the
state
“I, as the chairman, as well as the Rector, Bursar and
the Director of Works were invited to defend the approval, which we insisted
that we considered realistic and reasonable quotations rather than the lowest
bidding that might not be realisable.
“When the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) intervened
over the contract issue, the lowest bidder from outside the state was giving
all the seven contracts.
“Since then, more than two years ago now, I didn’t hear
anything from the BPP or the ICPC over the incident.”
Speaking on her travails, Mrs. Aliyu said two businessmen
have sworn to get rid of her for exposing the fraud perpetrated in Aso Savings
and Loans Plc.
Her statement reads: “On the 21st June, 2017, I had
written a petition against Aso Savings
and Loans Plc, where I catalogued the
several infractions, frauds and corruption of Mr. Tunde Ayeni and his protégé;
Mr. Adekunle Adedigba over funds that
were misappropriated.
” I duly submitted
copies of the said petition in June 2017 to Directorate of State
Security (DSS), Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Independent Corrupt Practices Commission and Related offences Commission
(ICPC) and the Attorney- General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
“It is interesting
to note that two clear months after I submitted
the petition with weighty allegations against the Aso Savings and the
persons earlier mentioned, nothing has been
done about it, but they were quick to go to press that I was being
investigated to deny me of the appointment earlier made by the Acting President.
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