Alleged fraud: REA’s Former MD, ED exonerated

Salihijo

By KEMI KAYODE

The Rural Electrification Agency, the agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria responsible for the electrification of unserved and underserved communities under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Power came under scrutiny in 2023 following internal and external probes into irregular payment practices, misappropriation of funds and abuse of office.

In March 2024 this led to the indefinite suspension of the former Managing Director alongside the Executive Management, due to concerns about significant weaknesses in some Government systems/operations and financial controls.

Law enforcement agencies tasked with investigating the Agency expanded their inquiry into procurement and payment processes, focusing on how approvals were processed and how funds were released through Government financial platforms.

Months before the indefinite suspension, the former Managing Director, Ahmad Salihijo, had escalated concerns about irregular disbursement patterns to relevant authorities, citing unusual activity linked to payments processed through the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).

“Following the discovery, the REA Executive Management also initiated internal accountability processes and officials concerned within the finance and accounts department were queried and suspended immediately”, According to public service rules, there was a recommendation by the Senior Staff Committee (SSC) for their dismissal which was submitted to the supervisory Ministry for ratification at the time when the indefinite suspension of the former Managing Director and Executive Management was announced.