N446 Billion Fraud: How Yari Was Fingered Alongside Consultants, Ex-Accountant General & Others

Facts have emerged about how the former Governor of Zamfara State, Abdullaziz Yari, allegedly connived with a Consultant and Former Accountant General of the Federation, Idris Ahmed, to rip Federal Republic of Nigeria of N446 billion.

Yari, who is aspiring to become the Senate President of the 10th Assembly, was Chairman of Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), an avenue he used to facilitate financial scandals.

A credible source, who is aware of the investigation of the former Governor of Zamfara State, explained that the dastardly act was perpetrated in 2017 after the reconciliation of the London and Paris Club debt service in which the Government approved refund for 36 governors,

Yari, according to the Source, nominated a consultant to earn fees and N188 billion representing 9 percent of the amount refunded to the 36 State Governments was paid to the consultant nominated by the former Zamfara State Governor.

The Source, who is aware of the investigation of the former Governor said, “In 2017, after a reconciliation of the London and Paris Club debt services payments accounts, the Federal Government approved the refunds to the 36 Subnational Governments, these refunds were amounts that the Federal Government had over deducted from the Federation accounts during the Obasanjo administration for the servicing of Nigeria’s Paris and London Club debts”.

“The reconciliation was done by Federal Government agencies but Mr. Yari, Chairman of NGF at the time, nominated a consultant ostensibly to carry out the reconciliation of the accounts and the consultant was paid 9% of the total amount refunded; the consultant fees paid were estimated at N188,000,000,000 (One Hundred and Eighty Eight Billion Naira) at the time approximately $515,000,000 (Five Hundred and Fifteen Million Dollars).”

In May 2022, Yari was arrested, detained for 28 days and then released on bail. He is still currently under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for his direct role in a N88 billion financial scandal involving former Accountant General of the Federation.
Although it is now being reported that the EFCC Chairman has been compromised and has slowed down its investigation.

According to a credible source in the Anti-graft agency, “In 2019, after the reconciliation of deductions to the Excess Crude Accounts of the Federation made by the previous administrations without accounting for the 13% derivation that should have accrued to the 9 Oil Producing States. The Federal Government approved the refunds to 9 States. This reconciliation was done by the office of Accountant General in conjunction with other Federal agencies. However, a consultant was fronted by Mr. Yari and the consultant was paid 12% as consultancy fee amounting to approximately N88,000,000,000 (Eighty Eight Billion Naira).”

Again this year, the former Governor, who is busy obtaining Court Injunction to evade arrest by the anti-corruption agency, is reported to be involved in yet another financial scandal.

The Anti-graft source said, “In 2022/2023 the Federal Government approved the refunds of the erstwhile Sure-P programme balances to State Governments; a consultant nominated by Mr. Yari was again paid consultancy fees approximately to the tune of N170,000,000,000 (One Hundred and Seventy Billion Naira).”

In addition to these financial scandals, over his tenure as Governor of Zamfara, he reported illegally mined and smuggled gold in thousands of tons out of the country, leaving the state severely impoverished.

This war chest, well in excess of $1 Billion, is now being deployed to procure the third highest office in the country, the Senate Presidency. Yari is determined to buy his way into office in order to prepare the grounds for his 2027 bid for the President of Nigeria.