Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has addressed concerns regarding the alleged allocation of N1.5 billion for the purchase of two Hilux vehicles in the state’s 2024 budget.
Speaking during a visit to the Eziukwu Road Market in Aba, where he sympathized with traders affected by a recent fire incident, Governor Otti clarified that the reported figure was a result of a software glitch in the budget preparation process.
According to Governor Otti, upon seeing the report, he immediately investigated the matter and discovered that the error stemmed from an issue with the Excel software used in budget preparation.
“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.
“In statistics and even in accounting, there is what is referred to as the materiality concept and that talks to the significance of a number to influence outcome.
“So if you check N1.5 billion against N487 billion budget, that translates to about 0.3%, less than half percent of the total figure, and I believe that it is not that significant in determining outcome. So even if the wrong number was carried down to the total, it wouldn’t have been material.
“But suffice it to say that anything that comes from government must be correct. It is an error, and it has been corrected”, Governor Otti clarified.
The Governor while emphasizing that not all budgeted expenditures must be utilized, highlighted the need for prudent financial management and clarified that the actual amount allocated for the Hilux vehicles was N150 million, rather than the reported N1.5 billion.
“I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. The overall numbers are correct and the figure of N1.5 billion was actually N150 million; two units of Hilux vans at N75 million each will give you N150 million, that’s the correct number,” the Governor reassured.
He acknowledged the vigilance of the public in highlighting the error and underscored the role of citizens in holding governments accountable, adding that his administration is committed to transparency and accountability.
“I must thank the people who pointed out the error. It means that people are vigilant; people are checking and I encourage people to check, hold government to account.
“I believe that our people should remain awake and be vigilant and hold governments to account because the governments are governments of the people, for the people and by the people and that is the definition of democracy”, Governor Otti pointed out.
