From CHRISTIANA EKPA, Lokoja
The Association of Local Government of Nigeria, (ALGON), Kogi State chapter, has called on the people of the state to disregard allegation that the state government engaged in “vehicle purchase bazaar” for the 21 local government areas in the state.
Speaking on the report, Special Adviser on Media to Kogi ALGON, Abubakar Sule Hussein, said it is very important to correct the wrong impression and false information raised by an organization that goes with the name James Faleke’s political organization, accusing the Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, of “Vehicle Purchase Bazaar” worth N504 million to administrators in the 21 local government areas of the state.
”We wish to reiterate in the strongest terms that no money was paid to the company that supplied the said Jeep and Hilux to local government administrators and all the speculations are untrue and do not reflect the actual terms reached with the company. The allegations and accusations from Faleke’s end are most unbecoming and have continued to expose the level of desperation by the chief sponsor of this organization,” Hussein said.
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”For the avoidance of doubt, the governor in his usual magnanimity and kind disposition considered the plight of the immediate past council chairmen, their vice and council leaders, all elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), graciously approved the release of their official vehicles to them in order to ease their mobility problems after the expiration of their tenure” he explained.
On the terms involved in the purchase of the vehicles, Hussein disclosed that the state government merely stood as a guarantor, stressing that the vehicles were purchased on loan based on understanding and terms reached with the company.
”The agreement between the state government and the company was that payment for the vehicles will commence after one year when salary arrears of local government workers would have been fully cleared,” he disclosed.
ALGON, therefore, urged the general public to ignore the speculations and false accusations of the James Faleke’s political organization who are seeking for relevance and do not mean well for the growth of the state