N580m Toyota Hilux vehicles, bullet proof SUVs: Adamawa lawmakers drag Ngilari to EFCC

 Yola—Adamawa House of Assembly yesterday passed a resolution calling on the Economic and Financial  Crimes Commission, EFCC to probe alleged procurement of 50 Toyota Hilux vehicles and two bullet proof  Jeeps at a cost of N580 million by the six- month old administration of Governor Bala Ngilari.

The House also called on the state government to, as a matter of urgency re-instate the sacked Director  General of the state Public Procurement Bureau, Mallam Bello Umar, who it said was removed by the e xecutive for querying the purchase for not following due process.

The House at its plenary presided over by the factional Speaker, Alhaji Ahmadu Fintiri, recommended the honouring of Mallam Umar with national award for doing his job diligently in relation to the alleged purchase and other executive excesses that cost him his job.

The Speaker the House Alhaji Fintiri, also declared the seat of three lawmakers vacant. Citing Section 108 of the 1999 Constitution, Fintiri pointing out that the affected members, Umar Abdulkarim- PDM-Nasarawo/Binyeri; Hamman Tukur- PDM-Jada/Mbulo and Adamu Usman- APC-Toungo, were elected to the House on the platform of PDP but they defected to other parties to contest the last general election.

A faction of the House had earlier sat at the Conference Hall of the Government House and impeached both the Speaker, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri and his deputy, Mr Kwamoti La’ori.

Fintiri was replaced by Hon. Jerry Kumdisi as the new speaker following a motion moved by Hon Kabillo and seconded by the member representing Yola South, Hon Abuzarri Ribadu.

However, yesterday’s resolutions came under Matters of Urgent Public Importance moved by the Deputy Speaker, Mr Kwamoti Laori, who said that the state government sacked Umar for querying among others the procurement of the Hilux vans at the cost of N400 million and the two Lexus Jeeps at the cost of N180 million, bringing the total to N580 million.

Laori who described the affected contracts as exorbitant claimed that the cost of new bullet proof Jeep per unit was N35 million, adding that the ones purchased by the government were fairly used vehicles.