Adamawa governor, Ngilari, Buys Two Lexus SUVs For N180million

The decision of the Adamawa state governor, Bala Ngilari to buy two Lexus SUVs for N180million, about $900,000 and two Hilux pick up vans at N400million have triggered outrage from members of the state House of Assembly. On Wednesday, the members passed a resolution calling on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to probe the purchases.

The House, now split into factions, further called on the state government to re-instate the sacked Director General of the state Public Procurement Bureau, Malam Bello Umar, who it said was sacked by the executive for querying the purchase and for not following due process.

At its plenary presided over by the Speaker, Ahmadu Fintiri, the House also recommended a national honour for Umar for querying the purchase and other executive excesses that cost his sack.

According to the resolutions which came under Matters of Urgent Public Importance raised by the Deputy Speaker, Kwamoti Laori, told the house that the state government had sacked the Director General of the state Public Procurement Bureau after whistle-blowing on the executive recklessness.

Laori also claimed the Lexus cars were used ones. While a used Lexus armoured car can go for about $120,000, a new one usually sells for less than $200,000, online research shows.

The session also witnessed the declaration of three seats as vacant.

The affected members, Umar Abdulkarim (PDM-Nasarawo/Binyeri), Hamman Tukur (PDM-Jada/Mbulo) and Adamu Usman (APC-Toungo) where elected to the House under PDP but they defected to other parties to contest in the last general election.

The House unanimously condemned the purported impeachment of the speaker and his deputy by nine law makers at the Conference Hall of the Government House and announced a panel that will probe the action of the ‘Gang of nine’.

The Gang of Nine also met today and declared as illegal all the actions taken by the Fintiri led HOuse. The Gang has Jerry Kundisi (PDP-Gombi) as Speaker and it enjoys the backing of Governor Ngilari.

The conflict has made the police tighten security around the asembly complex.