Politics
Officials of Niger Delta ministry sell govt vehicles worth N90m at N2m
The Senate on Friday said it had uncovered a massive fraud ring within the Ministry of Niger Delta as officials were indicted of illegally disposing six vehicles worth N90 million for pantry sum of N2 million less than one year after acquisition.
This discovery was made public by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, after its investigation based on the 2015 report of Auditor General of the Federation.
In the wake of the discovery, it demanded that the Accounting Officer in the Ministry (Permanent Secretary) should be sanctioned for illegal disposal of those vehicles.
The vehicles were purchased from JBS motors on 23rd of June and 18th August 2014.
The report submitted to the Senate for consideration said, “the Ministry disposed a total of 22 vehicles to various beneficiaries in May, 2015 and realized a total sum of N5.2 million.
Read also: Bandits should be treated same way Niger Delta militants were treated —Gumi
“Out of the 22 vehicles, six were purchased on 23rd of June and 18th August 2014 from JBS Motors and Co, Abuja at a total cost of N105 million and duly paid for.
“Less than one year after acquisition, six vehicles costing N90 million were sold at a ridiculous sum of N2.1 million.”
In its response, the Ministry claimed that the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing was invited to evaluate the vehicles before they were sold.
But, the Committee in its investigation discovered that the evaluation report of the Federal Ministry of Works did not include the newly purchased vehicles.
As a result, the Senate Committee mandated the repayment of N61.4 million being the disposable value of the vehicle.
By Mayowa Oladeji…
Join the conversation
Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism
Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.
As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.
If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.
Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.
INVESTIGATION: In Kwara, multimillion-naira milk processing plant is abandoned, converted to a chicken outlet
After the government spent millions of naira to establish a milk processing plant in Kwara State that would provided jobs...
SPECIAL REPORT: For Sokoto communities, promise of healthcare is akin to death sentence
In this story, ABDULRASHEED HAMMAD delves into the dire realities of Primary Health Care services in Sokoto State, shedding light...
ICYMI…SPECIAL REPORT: NNPCL hides behind PIA to frustrate disclosure, accountability
Nigeria’s major oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), in what appears to be a common practice of disregard...
INVESTIGATION: Multi-million naira Ekiti resort center remains uncompleted a decade after
The multimillion-naira project, expected to comprise recreational buildings, now consists of cassava farmland, a bush used for excretion, and a...
SPECIAL REPORT: Torturous experiences of students with disabilities in Oyo tertiary institutions
For students with disabilities in Oyo state-owned tertiary institutions, learning is a torturous and distressing experience, considering the building structures...