The Sokoto State government has managed to recover 70 out of 745 vehicles reported to be in the possession of former government officials in the state.
Alhaji Jelani Kalgo, the chairman of the Committee for the Review of Wasteful and Unnecessary Government Assets, shared this information while presenting the interim report to Governor Ahmed Aliyu on Thursday.
Out of the identified 745 vehicles, 302 were traced to former Commissioners, Special Advisers, and Chief Executives, while 443 were found with local government areas.
The committee has successfully retrieved 32 vehicles from former government officials, including Commissioners and Chief Executives of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.
“We have so far retrieved 32 vehicles from former government officials, including Commissioners, Special Advisers and Chief Executives of Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
Upon inspecting all 23 local government areas, it was discovered that 70% of the 443 vehicles there were not in use.
Shockingly, around 40 vehicles had been released for hire to private individuals, some even taken beyond the local government boundaries, extending as far as Niger Republic.
The types of vehicles included 6 graders, 6 pay loaders, 3 rollers, 9 tippers, 4 water tankers, and 2 fire service tankers.
Expressing concern, Kalgo mentioned that the committee encountered difficulties due to a shortage of funds and the absence of court orders, hindering a more extensive recovery effort.
The committee also found that a government property was sold for N60 million, but only N30 million was properly accounted for.
Governor Aliyu expressed gratitude to the committee for their diligent work and assured them that the government would carefully study their report and take necessary actions in response to the findings.
