The Sokoto state government has denied a media report which alleged that it diverted N189 billion from the state treasury.
The denial is contained in a statement issued on Friday in Sokoto and signed by Muhammad Bello, Gov. Aminu Tambuwal’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicly.
Bello described the allegation as false, malicious, reckless, provocative and a product of orchestrated efforts by political opponents attempting to taint Gov. Tambuwal’s reputation.
”We alert the public that the media report is false and an attempt to discredit the frontline aspirant for the 2023 Peoples Democtratic Party (PDP) presidential ticket.
”The Government of Sokoto State has established a reputation as the champion of budget transparency, fiscal responsibility, and open governance. We have subscribed to the Open Government Partnership (OGP),” Bello said.
”In December 2020, the World Bank rated Sokoto State as number one state in Nigeria in fiscal transparency in recognition of Gov Tambuwal’s unflinching commitment to the implementation of the state’s Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS).
”Tambuwal is a champion of budgetary transparency in Nigeria. For this commitment, Sokoto State has received up to US$34.1 million as special grant from the World Bank,” Bello added.
The governor’s spokesman, therefore, urged the public to regard the report as a desperate effort by Tambuwal’s political opponents to derail his mission to offer Nigeria open and transformative governance.
