I NEVER HAD N1b IN MY ACCOUNT DURING MY TENURE – ADAMAWA EX-GOV NGILARI

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A former governor of Adamawa State, Bala Ngilari, has reiterated his claim that he never had up to one billion naira in his bank account while in office.

Ngilari restated this claim as a guest speaker on Channels Television‘s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, when he was asked to clarify a statement that he would faint if he saw one billion naira in his account in a recent interview.

“This can be verified, my account can be checked, eight years back – there was no time I ever had a credit balance of a billion naira within my account,” Ngilari said.

According to the ex-governor, there were numerous opportunities for him to accumulate such a sum in his account, but the code of ethics and conduct ingrained in him by his legal career opened the path for his integrity in managing state funds.

“That is not to say that I didn’t have opportunities that I would have made that kind of money when I was governor. That is not the path I chose for myself and mind you I am a legal practitioner – I have been practicing law for a considerable time.”

The former governor claimed that his earlier statement was a joke which was taken too seriously.

Speaking further, Ngilari said he has made has forgiven those who contributed to his conviction following a corruption case instituted against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and added that he will not speak further on the subject because he is working to inspire the younger generation with his autobiography.

Ngilari, who served as governor of the North-Eastern state from October 2014 to May 2015, was in 2017, convicted of corruption involving N167 million and sentenced to prison after leaving office.

The EFCC had charged him for violation of procurement laws in the award of a contract of 167 million Naira to El-Yadi Motors Limited for the supply of 25 units of operational vehicles (Toyota Corolla).

He was sentenced to five years in prison by a High Court sitting in Yola, Adamawa state capital over corruption charges.

However, he was subsequently discharged and acquitted by the Court of Appeal in Yola.