BY ROTIMI AJAYI

The former Governor of Nasarawa State, Alli Akwe Doma may have run into trouble with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over more than N13.4 billion pay-back to the State on the debt relief granted Nigeria by the Paris Club.

A top State Government source revealed to Vanguard that the former Governor allegedly ran into trouble over the payment by withholding its payment from the State House of Assembly and the State Executive Council.

It was learnt that following the burden placed on Nigeria by the huge foreign debt incurred by the country, former President Olusegun Obasanjo consulted with the State Governors during series of meeting with them in Abuja.

The consultations were said to have resulted in a resolution that the Federal Government should deduct some amount of money from the states which had foreign debts against their names.

“Nasarawa State happened to be one of them although most of the debts were incurred when the state was still part of Plateau State. So the Federal Government started deducting certain amount of money from the State Government allocation monthly for the purpose of servicing the debts.

“However, luckily enough for Nigeria, the country was granted debt relief by the Paris Club and so the Federal Government decided to pay-back the money that had been deducted from the States.

“By the time of this decision, the amount of money that had been deducted from Nasarawa State had risen to about $89.6million,” the source disclosed.

The source added that as soon as the Federal Government took the decision to refund the money to the states, the process started and it got to payment stage but the payment could not be effected up till May 29, 2007 when President Olusegun Obasanjo left office.It was learnt that Katsina and two other states benefitted from the refund as well.

It was also learnt that late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, however effected the payment to the affected states and the refund was said to have been done in dollars.

The source disclosed that when the former Governor took over in 2007 and learnt about the refund that was to be paid, he was said to have hired consultants to help retrieve the money from the Federal Government.

The consultants were said to have demand for a 10% commission from the $89.6 million but, according to the source, the Commission was later raised to 15% by the State Government.

The money was also said to have been paid alongside another $21 million excess crude accruals to the states.

It was learnt that the money was deposited into a private account in one of the troubled banks where a relative of the Governor works.

The incumbent Governor, Tanko Al-Makura was said to have been shocked by the discovery of the refund and promptly met with President Goodluck Jonathan and wrote a petition against the former Governor.

The President was said to have forwarded the petition to the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, Mrs Farida Waziri for investigations and actions..