FCT: How junior directors takes charge of FCTA’s treasury for 7 years

By Isah S. Abubakar, Abuja.

Junior directors in the department of Finance and Account have been presiding over treasury of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) ahead of their senior directors for over seven years, through support of the FCT minister, Muhammad Musa Bello, investigation by ….. has revealed.

The minister since 2017, has always preferred to favor junior directors as director of treasury of the FCTA especially from Borno and Yobe state, further investigation has revealed.

Our correspondent learnt that the FCTA’s treasury department was established to manage the funds of the FCT administration and its mandate secretaries, department and agencies as well as to perform other functions of the FCTA.

Our findings showed that the minister appointed another junior director, Ibrahim Bomai as director of treasury, who retired in 2016, while, Isyaku Samaila, another junior director was again appointed as director of treasury ahead of senior other directors and retired in March, 2020.

A source in the FCTA’s department of treasury who preferred anonymity, confided in our reporter that since Isyaka Samaila retired in March, 7, 2020, the minister appointed Salau Lawal a junior director as acting director of treasury till October, 2020.

The source said since after Lawal retired in October, 2020, the treasury office had remained vacant without any replacement by the FCT administration, despite a retired senior director, Mr Dennis Anowai, was then expected to have taken over from Lawal.

He said instead of the FCT minister Muhammad Musa Bello to appoint Dennis Anowai who was a senior director then, but rather left office vacant as the FCT permanent secretary, Adesola Olusade had to then oversaw the treasury office till September, 8, 2022.

The situation, the source said did not go down well with Anowai, a situation which prompted him to filed a petition to the national assembly where he accused the FCT administration of moves to appoint another junior director as director of treasury to replace Lawal who was retiring.

Further investigation revealed that the FCT minister who had been foot dragging of appointing Mr Dennis Anowai, that has now retired as director of treasury, until Anowai, retired on July, 25, 2022, before the FCT administration immediately appointed, Zanna Alhaji Hamza, another junior director as director of treasury ahead two other senior directors.

“In fact, all the retired directors of treasury including the present one were all junior directors when the minister appointed them, despite we have two senior directors in the department of finance and account that were qualifed to be director of treasury but were sidelined, ” a source alleged.

He added “I believe is because they are not from the north, because all the retired directors of treasury including the present one were from Yobe and Borno state, while one among the two senior directors is from FCT,” the source added.

Another source in the treasury department further disclosed that all the appointment junior staff which he said cut across finance and account, funds, capital expenditure, central pay office, budget, salary units and reconcilation units as well as revenue unit were never been transferred to another agencies.

“No any staff in the treasury department that cut across the above units that have ever been transferred. In fact majority of them remained and retired there, which I believe could be because of connection or there is money there,” the sourced further alleged.

Recalled that a group, under the aegis of Citizens Awareness Against Corruption And Social Vices had last week in a press conference in Abuja, led by its executive director Comrade, Olamuyiwa Olende, threatened to sue the FCT minister Muhammad Musa Bello, over appointing a junior director as director of treasury of the FCTA ahead senior other directors.

The special assistant on media and publicity to the FCT minister, Malam Abdullahi Sani, did not pick calls or reply to text message sent to his phone for react.

Though, Sani while reacting to a similar story published in one of the national newspapers, said the minister has no preferred candidate as director of treasury the FCTA.

He said anyone that is qualified are given fair opportunity to emerge through acceptable selection criteria and process that is based on seniority.