The Sokoto State government has reported that out of the 745 vehicles reportedly held by former government officials, 70 have been successfully recovered. Alhaji Jelani Kalgo, Chairman of the Committee tasked with reviewing wasteful government assets, presented the interim report to Governor Ahmed Aliyu on Thursday, revealing that the committee identified a total of 745 vehicles.
According to Kalgo, 302 of these vehicles were in the possession of former Commissioners, Special Advisers, and Chief Executives, while the remaining 443 were in the hands of local government areas. He informed the governor that 32 vehicles, including those of former government officials, had been recovered so far.
The committee conducted inspections across all 23 local government areas and discovered that 70 percent of the 443 vehicles were inoperable. Additionally, about 40 vehicles had been leased to private individuals. The recovered vehicles comprised various types, such as 6 graders, 6 pay loaders, 3 rollers, 9 tippers, 4 water tankers, 2 fire service tankers, and others.
Jelani Kalgo highlighted that stakeholders, including local government chairmen, works supervisors, and beneficiaries, were invited to assist in the retrieval process. The committee successfully recovered 35 heavy-duty vehicles. Some vehicles were found concealed in five locations within the state metropolis.
The chairman acknowledged that the recovery efforts faced challenges due to limited funds and the absence of a court order. He revealed a discrepancy where a government property was sold for N60 million, but only N30 million was accounted for.
Governor Aliyu expressed gratitude to the committee for its diligent work and assured them that the government would carefully review the report and take necessary actions based on its findings.