Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has spoken on the reported allocation of N1.5 billion by his administration for the purchase of two Toyota Hilux Pickup trucks in the state.
In December 2023, Mr Otti presented the N567.2 billion 2024 budget to the State House of Assembly which he later signed into law after the state’s lawmakers passed it.
In the approved budget which surfaced online recently, the sum of N1.5 billion was earmarked for the purchase of the two pick-up trucks.
Several Nigerians, consequently, criticised the governor, with some accusing him of being extravagant.
But reacting on Tuesday, Mr Otti attributed the “controversial figure” to a software glitch generated by Excel software used in preparing the budget document, according to a statement by his spokesperson, Kazie Uko.
“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’re bound to have a problem like that,” the governor said.
“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 explained.
Mr Otti stressed that as soon as the information about the figure got to him, he immediately had to cross-check the budget numbers on his hand-held device, and was reassured that to find out that “the N1.5 billion was not translated to the total budget figure.”
“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 believe that our people should remain awake and be vigilant and hold governments to account because the governments are governments of the people, for the people and by the people and that is the definition of democracy,” he said.
The governor added that the expenditure part of the 2024 budget must not be exhausted despite being approved and signed into law.