Abia State Governor Alex Otti has blamed the controversial amount of N1.5 billion for the purchase of two Hilux vans on a technical mistake caused by the Excel package used to prepare the budget paper.
Otti clarified the situation on Tuesday, responding to journalist questioning.
According to an online news source, the state government has set up N1.5 billion for the acquisition of “two Toyota Hilux”.
According to the report, N5,946,756,437 was allocated for the purchase of motor vehicles, N2,704,980,600 for the purchase of vans, N949,000,000 for the purchase of trucks, and N3,011,804,906 for the purchase of buses.
Speaking at Eziukwu Road Market in Aba, where he had gone to sympathize with some traders who had lost their products in a fire that happened on Monday, the governor stated that he quickly double-checked the figures in the report and discovered there was a mix-up.
“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.
“It’s a mistake that has been corrected.
“I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. The overall numbers are correct and the figure of N1.5 billion was N150 million; two units of Hilux vans at N75 million each will give you N150 million, that’s the correct number,”
Otti clarified.