Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has clarified the issue of the proposed procurement of two Toyota Hilux vehicles at the cost of N1.5 billion in the state annual budget.

SaharaReporters last weekend exclusively reported how Otti’s administration budgeted the amount for the purchase of two vehicles.

Another N721 million was also budgeted and approved by the state assembly for the “Purchase of 2 No of Nissan Trucks for Government House”.

According to Vanguard newspaper, Otti while reacting to a question on the report that his government had voted N1.5 billion to purchase two units of Toyota Hilux vehicles in the 2024 budget, attributed the controversial figure to a software glitch generated by the Excel package used in preparing the budget document.

Vanguard quoted the governor as saying: “When I saw that report, I knew something was wrong. I knew it could either be the units or the price.

“So, I called the Commissioner for Budget and Planning and asked him to check it out and call me back. He did and reported that it was neither the units nor the price that was wrong but the Excel.

“If you use Excel and the formula is not very right on a particular line, you are bound to have a problem like that. It’s a mistake that has been corrected.

“When the news of the bloated figure got to me, I immediately had to cross-check the budget numbers and found that the N1.5 billion was not translated to the total budget figure.

“In statistics and even in accounting, there is what is referred to as the materiality concept, and that talks to the significance of a number to influence the outcome.

“So if you check N1.5 billion against N487 billion budget, that translates to about 0.3%, less than half percent of the total figure, and I believe that it is not that significant in determining the outcome. So even if the wrong number was carried down to the total, it wouldn’t have been material.

“But suffice it to say that anything that comes from government must be correct. It is an error, and it has been corrected. I must thank the people who pointed out the error. It means that people are vigilant; people are checking and I encourage people to check and hold the government to account.

“I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. The overall numbers are correct and the figure of N1.5 billion was actually N150 million; two units of Hilux vans at N75 million each will give you N150 million, that’s the correct number.”

The governor, however, did not clear the air on another N721 million budgeted and approved by the state assembly for the “Purchase of 2 No of Nissan Trucks for Government House”.

In 2023, SaharaReporters reported how Otti spent a whopping N927 million within three months on refreshments/meals, settlement of honorarium, allowances, and welfare packages for the eggheads.

About N737,922,661.25 was also spent to buy motor vehicles within this period. However, the quantity and the people the vehicles were bought for were never stated.

According to a copy of the state budget performance obtained by the newspaper, the governor spent N223,389,889.84 on refreshments/meals, while N305,400,000.00 was spent on honorarium and sitting allowance for government officials between July and September 2023.

The Otti-led government also claimed it spent N397,520,734.00 on welfare packages in the document.

Meanwhile, N362,804,050.00 was spent by the Abia government to purchase trucks and another N400,890,000.00 was used for the purchase of buses.

Also in the document, the government claimed that N252.4 million was used to run the Deputy Governor's office for three months.

The report, however, showed that only N25 million was spent by the government on the repair of public schools in the state even though many public primary and secondary schools in the state are in bad shape.

According to multiple reports online, most public secondary and primary school buildings and facilities across the 17 local government areas of the state have aged amid the government’s negligence.

Several school buildings are reportedly dilapidated with leaky roofs, broken furniture, doors and windows.



https://saharareporters.com/2024/02/06/breaking-abia-governor-otti-says-n15billion-budgeted-purchase-two-toyota-vehicles-error

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2024/02/otti-clears-air-on-n1-5bn-strange-estimate-for-2-hilux-vehicles/

Few years from now our people will claim Alex Otti was a bank manager n can not steal just listen to the senseless excuse the criminal his giving now imagine if it was Sanwolu that gave such foolish excuse.

This is aside the fact that this failure as not commissioned a single project yet the criminal want to buy himself cars worth billions after budgeting several million to feed. All sort of criminal adventure just keep coming from the foolish governor.

Mentor n protege fooling their people

Look at the watery defense

just imagine this happened in Lagos. Obi, Aisha and their supporters on nairaland will call for a protest all over Lagos.

Last year, Otti spent close to a billion naira in 3 month on refreshments/meals, settlement of honorarium, allowances, and welfare packages for the eggheads. Aisha and obidients said nothing about it, they moved on as if nothing happened because it didn't happen in Lagos state and the name of the governor is not Sanwo olu

The title and body of this doesn't match.

Why are the governors in nigeria this ugly , what happened to the men jn nigeria

Mynd44:
The title and body of this doesn't match.

Those commenting are leaving me more confused.

The title and the contents do not match, I'm confused please

Hello

Vanguard knew what they were doing placing a wrong story under the title to buy time n reduce criticism of the foolish governor Alex Otti. Sahara Reported carried same story I updated the body to their story already.

Mynd44:
The title and body of this doesn't match.

Dividends of democracy knows it's beneficiaries

Alex otti you are a thief and a disgrace to good governernce

This is the person the Ibos is the best o.

Alex Otti is codedly stealing but labour party supporters who claim to want to save Nigeria will defend his corruption. 721 million naira for 2 Nissan pick ups! Some people only speak against corruption because it is not them who are benefitting from it.

Nbote, come and frop your unbias analysis here

I used to think LP are diff but for where

Shey na like this dem wan take teach us governance
With this kind "theifery" Sonature1

No be only excel......

Excel did not reduce the price but jerked it up....dey play!

How many others were inflated be the excel.

ObiPandora:
Few years from now our people will claim Alex Otti was a bank manager n can not steal just listen to the senseless excuse the criminal his giving now imagine if it was Sanwolu that gave such foolish excuse.

This is aside the fact that this failure as not commissioned a single project yet the criminal want to buy himself cars worth billions after budgeting several million to feed. All sort of criminal adventure just keep coming from the foolish governor.

You won't understand because all your life, you have not used Excel or even understand how Excel formula work

Was the said figure approved?

Why was it not detected during the budget defence?

Mr Governor this is Budget padding and your excuse is very lame, you are a big thief.

Fair enough.

But I remember when the FG also laid claim to a mistake in excel and all the noise we were hearing as if they were lying, now is a good time to know if those folks will be consistent or simply defend this one because he is their own.

U be thief, you have to wait until the people " found out " before you detected the " mistake".

ObiPandora:
Few years from now our people will claim Alex Otti was a bank manager n can not steal just listen to the senseless excuse the criminal his giving now imagine if it was Sanwolu that gave such foolish excuse.

This is aside the fact that this failure as not commissioned a single project yet the criminal want to buy himself cars worth billions after budgeting several million to feed. All sort of criminal adventure just keep coming from the foolish governor.

As we are speaking now he just flag off the construction of 64km road from Umuahia to ohafia/Arochukwu
Last two weeks he started the construction of over 40km owerrinta-umuika-oweerinta road
Another 16km in bende
Plus numerous other roads he is Constructing
You can say anything about Abia governor
But trying to say he hasn't commissioned any road is a balant lie
For now he is trying

He is a member of Labour Party. Lets pardon him.

Our focus is criminals from APC

Inner thoughts of fools

IamAtikulate:

You won't understand because all your life, you have not used Excel or even understand how Excel formula work

Notice how all the idiots foaming at the mouth over this clarification are mostly -if not ALL- Tinubu stooges, minions and e-thugs! It’s like they’re desperately looking for straws from the south-east to clutch on to in their bid to try and divert attention from the disastrous 8 months (and counting) of their emilokan tin-god!

Alex Otti is doing well thus far, and i’m even impressed he took the time to address this issue! As far as i’m concerned, the case is addressed and closed! Anyone with any evidence that contradicts the explanation given should come out with it and fill us in!

Nigercity:


As we are speaking now he just flag off the construction of 64km road from Umuahia to ohafia/Arochukwu
Last two weeks he started the construction of over 40km owerrinta-umuika-oweerinta road
Another 16km in bende
Plus numerous other roads he is Constructing
You can say anything about Abia governor
But trying to say he hasn't commissioned any road is a balant lie
For now he is trying

I’ve seen the improvements he’s making in Aba road and flood-control infrastructure! If he keeps this up, in the next three years, Aba would be unrecognisable from the cesspit it grew to be during the locust Orji years! Ikpeazu tried a little bit!

As you already know, either you edit or close the thread. Unless you want to pretend as if you dont know its a tribal thread.

RONU

Mynd44:
The title and body of this doesn't match.

Better.

Baba druggie was forced back from France after charging his life battery 78%. The protests erupting here and there couldn't allow him the time to charge 100%

Paraman:
Look at the watery defense

just imagine this happened in Lagos. Obi, Aisha and their supporters on nairaland will call for a protest all over Lagos.

Last year, Otti spent close to a billion naira in 3 month on refreshments/meals, settlement of honorarium, allowances, and welfare packages for the eggheads. Aisha and obidients said nothing about it, they moved on as if nothing happened because it didn't happen in Lagos state and the name of the governor is not Sanwo olu

110% correct.