- Warns against politicising issue
The Sokoto State Government says it has done nothing wrong by purchasing a property in Abuja to be used as office and residential accommodation by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Saad, and the officials of the Sultanate Council.
The state government said its decision to purchase the property was borne out of its concern over the lack of befitting office and residential accommodation for the Sultan and his officials in the nation’s Federal Capital Territory.
It added that rather than allow the officials of the Sultanate Council to continue to spend huge sums of money on hotel accommodation whenever they were in Abuja on official duty, a development which it could no longer sustain, and to also further strengthen their work during their stay in the nation’s capital, the state government thought it economically wise to get them permanent office and residential accommodation in the FCT.
The Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs to the Governor, Malam Imam Imam, who said this in a statement on Thursday, disclosed that in order to address this problem, the state government approved within its capital estimates of the 2016 Supplementary Budget and the 2017 Budget, the sum of N200million and N500million, respectively, for the purchase and furnishing of the Sultanate Council office and residence in Abuja.
Imam stated that the purchase of the property was approved by both the Sokoto State House of Assembly and the State Executive Council.
The state government, therefore, warned rumour mongers and all those trying to politicise the issue of the purchase of the property for the Sultanate Council’s use in Abuja, to desist.
The statement read thus:
“The attention of Sokoto State Government has been drawn to rumours making the rounds as to the nature of approval given for the purchase of office and residential accommodation for the Sultanate Council in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory.
“We wish to state the facts of the matter as follows:
1. The Sokoto State Government, CONCERNED by lack of a befitting office and residential accommodation for use by officials and members of the Sultanate Council, approved within its CAPITAL ESTIMATES of the 2016 Supplementary Budget and 2017 Budget, the sum of Two Hundred Million Naira (N200 million) and Five Hundred Million Naira (N500 million) respectively, PROVISION AND FURNISHING OF SULTANATE COUNCIL OFFICE AND RESIDENCE IN ABUJA.
2. The items are on Pages 11 and 362 of the approved budget documents with Sub Head Numbers 467/131 which was passed by the Sokoto State House of Assembly and signed into law by Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal on Friday, February 10, 2017.
3. Furthermore, the Sokoto State Executive Council, the highest decision-making body in the state, via a resolution of the EXCO with number CC (2016) 5R of Wednesday, December 28, 2016, approved the purchase of the office and residential accommodation in Abuja.
4. Thereafter, the Office of the Secretary of State Government received three offers from different Estate Developers which were vetted and assessed by the Ministry of Works and the State Due Process Office.
5. Following adherence to laid down procedure, the process of acquiring the property was set in motion upon which some elements are now trying to make political capital out of it.
“We wish to make it clear that all laid down legal and administrative procedure has been followed in the execution of the matter.
“The Sultanate Council and its officials are important component of the life of Sokoto State. Its funding is taken care of by extant provisions of the laws of Sokoto State and executed primarily from revenue sources accruing to the State and Local Government Councils.
“We felt that providing a befitting office and residential accommodation to its officials will further strengthen the work officials of the Sultanate Council are carrying out in Abuja. The present situation where officials pay huge sums of money to stay in hotels is economically unsustainable in the long run.
“We urge reporters and other members of the public to discountenance rumour mongers and always verify news stories from authorised channels.
“Thank you for your usual cooperation and understanding.”
