Nigeria’s sports ministry confirm alleged purchase of official vehicle worth N150m
By Abdulgafar Oladimeji with Agency report
Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Sports Development has confirmed the delivery to it of official vehicle allegedly worth N150 million.
The ministry in efforts to debunk the widely circulated media reports that the minister of sports, John Enoh had purchased an official vehicle worth N150m car amidst worsening economy had issued a rebuttal.
The ministry ‘s director of information and PR Kehinde Ajayi {Mrs), Director (Information and PR) in the Ministry, in the refutation said “ Contrary to the article’s claim of financial recklessness, the ministry’s 2024 approved budget took cognizance of these needs and provisioned for the purchase of operational vehicles.
Our checks reveals that the rejoinder issued by the ministry did not deny the figures quoted in the earlier published media reports, neither in the rejoinder specify the number of vehicles involved in the alleged reckless spending.
However proceeded to state that “Importantly, all due process and legal requirements were strictly adhered to in the procurement process. It is worth noting that the Honourable Minister had no involvement in the bidding or contract award processes, as such tasks fall outside his remit.”
Adding that “the attention of the Ministry of Sports Development has been drawn to a misleading article published on Opera News on 17th September 2024, titled “Tinubu’s Minister Buys New N150m Car Amid Worsening Economy.” While such sensational headlines would typically be ignored, we recognize the public’s sensitivities at this critical time in our nation’s development, making it necessary to set the record straight.
Ajayi explained that “the Ministry of Sports Development was separated from the Ministry of Youths and Sports Development at the onset of the current administration in 2023. One of the challenges the newly independent ministry has faced has been the lack of operational vehicles for key officers, including the Honourable Minister, the Permanent Secretary, and other officials and civil servants who come to work daily and who carry out official functions on behalf of the ministry.
“the Honourable Minister, Senator John Owan Enoh, has had to rely on the official vehicle he met, which has repeatedly malfunctioned. Similarly, the Permanent Secretary, has had to use her personal vehicle for official work while the Ministry’s staff remain in dire need of a staff bus.
According to Ajayi Further “It defies reason that the writer would refer to the purchase of operational vehicles for key ministry officials, duly captured and approved in the federal budget, as “largesse.”
“This misleading characterization appears to stem from the writer’s intention to stir public controversy.
