Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, has directed over 710 obsolete and scrap vehicles abandoned by various agencies in the state to be auctioned.
The Governor gave the directives on Wednesday when he inspected over 700 vehicles recovered from various government ministries and agencies of the state.
Governor Zulum while commending the committee on evacuation, repairs and auction of grounded vehicles warned that, any government official found to be diverting such vehicles shall be dismissed from service.
“You are working assiduously with a view to moving the state forward, we have seen your courage, we have seen your determination on ensuring the restoration of good ethics in our civil service.”
“It is disheartening to note that a total number of 710 vehicles that were abandoned by the various government agencies across the state were assembled by this very important committee.”
“It is more disheartening that among these vehicles, there are brand new ones which have never been utilized. There are more than one hundred which were not used for more than one year.”
“Lack of maintenance culture, lack of commitment is killing our state, the statistics are very scaring, it is revealed that we have more than 200 tractors abandoned because of minor faults.”
“If you go to some part of Borno Central, like My local government Mafa, there are about 21 abandoned tractors, I have seen some in Dikwa and many other local government areas.”
“Let me warn if we find out that any of such tractors have been diverted before the visit of this committee, believe me, the secretary of such local government will be summarily dismissed.”
“These are the assets of the state, it can add value to the lives of our people, I have given you directives to liaise with the procurement unit to auction all the recovered vehicles, however, those that require minor repairs can be rehabilitated and put back to use”, Zulum revealed.
Briefing the Governor, the committee chairman, Engr. Lawan Abba Wakilbe informed him that they have recovered 100 obsolete Peugeot 505,404 and 504, 100 scrap vehicles without engines, 75 buses of various categories, 45 four-wheel drive pick up, 21 diesel ambulances, 21trucks, 19 various models jeeps, 15 luxurious buses, seven old model land rover, nine road construction machinery, 16 generators of various capacities and five transformers.
Engr. Wakilbe added that the committee after technical assessment recommends that all obsolete, scrap vehicles and equipment beyond economic repairs be handed over to the registered auctioneers for sell to the General public.
The committee also noted with dismay citing that 146 vehicles /equipment were recovered from privately owned workshops abandoned for more than two years due to minor repairs.