Abia State Budget Shows Governor Otti Budgeted N1.5billion For Two Toyota Hilux

According to the Abia State budget, Governor Alex Otti only allocated N1.5 billion for the “acquisition of two Toyota Hilux” for his office

A copy of the state's approved budget for 2024 that SaharaReporters saw shows that the governor Alex Otti's administration in Abia State plans to spend a total of N1.5 billion on buying "two number of Toyota Hilux" in that year.

According to reports, Otti suggested allocating a total of N13 billion for the procurement of automobiles, vans, trucks, and buses by the year 2024. On December 28, 2023, Otti gave his assent to the N567.2 billion 2024 Appropriations Bill.

In the budget breakdown, N5,946,756,437 was set aside for buying cars, N2,704,980,600 was set aside for buying vans, N949,000,000 was set aside for buying trucks, and N3,011,804,906 was set aside for buying buses.

SaharaReporters' additional analysis of the budget revealed that the "Purchase of 2 Number Toyota Hilux" will account for N1.5 billion of the N13 billion authorized for automobiles. The contract was recorded in the Office of the Governor's Total Capital Expenditure, Reform for Government and Governance section.

According to a copy of the approved budget, this is the first time in the previous four years that a budget of this size has been set aside for the purchase of such vehicles.

Read: Governor Otti Had A Strategic Meeting With Tianjin-Yuyang Construction Engineering Company

The state assembly also approved and budgeted an additional N712 million for the “Purchase of 2 No of Nissan Trucks for Government House.”

The state is borrowing money to cover more than 70% of the N567.2 billion budget for 2024, including the billions of Naira for the four vehicles. According to reports, the approved budget had a roughly N400 billion deficit, which the state claimed would be covered by borrowing money from both domestic and foreign sources. The budget for 2024 projected that the state would receive N166 billion in revenue from various sources, including internal generated revenue (IGR), grants from multilateral organizations, allocations from the Nigerian government, and other sources of income

It was revealed in 2023 that Otti had spent an astounding N927 million in just three months on meals and refreshments, honorarium payments, allowances, and welfare benefits for the pricks. During this time, motor vehicle purchases cost about N737,922,661.25. It was never stated, though, how many cars were purchased or for whom.

Sahara Reporters was able to obtain a copy of the state budget performance, which shows that between July and September of 2023, the governor spent N223,389,889.84 on meals and refreshments, and N305,400,000.00 on honoraria and sitting allowance for government officials. In the document, the Otti-led government further stated that it had spent N397,520,734.00 on welfare benefits.

A total of N400,890,000.00 was used to buy buses, while the Abia government spent N362,804,050.00 on trucks.

The government stated in the document that N252.4 million was utilized for the three-month operation of the Deputy Governor's office. Despite the fact that many of the state's public primary and secondary schools are in poor condition, the report revealed that the government has only spent N25 million on school repairs.