Ex-Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed Abubakar, Spent N50m Per Trip From Bauchi To Abuja

Former Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed Abubakar

The immediate past governor of Bauchi State, Mohammed Abubakar, spent N50m each time he travelled from the state to Abuja.

The incumbent Governor, Bala Mohammed, recently made this revelation. He said this during a media chat to mark his first year in office.

He reacted to an allegation by the opposition All Progressives Congress in the state. The allegation was that he does not follow due process in awarding contracts.

He said, “I don’t go to Abuja very often. In the past, the former occupant spent N50m to go to Abuja. This was just to go to Abuja, and to them, that is due process.

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“N50m just to go to Abuja, it is there on record, I don’t even take it. My protocol, yes, as a governor, will take N3m to N5m to go with me. We are not saying this to beguile anybody but it is there. If you take N50m times four, that is N200m, you cannot do anything, you need projects.”

“We know we are being prudent and we will continue to be prudent. We are not looking for anything, God has given us everything. I am the most beguiled, investigated and denigrated person, yet the people have faith in me.

Reacting, an aide to the former Bauchi State governor,  Ali M. Ali, described the allegations as “diversionary”.

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The incumbent Governor, Bala Mohammed

The State-Owned Aircraft

Answering a question on the whereabouts of the aircraft belonging to the Bauchi State Government, the governor said that over $3 million was needed to repair it.

The aircraft is there parked, that was how I found it, right now, it has no value because it has no insurance. It was repaired in Morocco sometimes back and it was brought back to Nigeria and its engine started leaking, so we left it.

“The repairs of the aircraft have gulped about $3 million, now it has no value but maybe if it is repaired. Since it is a 50-seater, the value maybe $7 or $8 million if we are to sell it and it can be useful since it is a new aircraft.

“Our problem is that we don’t have that kind of money. We’ll have to use wisdom to see how we can repair it because it is a big loss to the state.”

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