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Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State got a Range Rover Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) valued at N41.4 million and two power bikes valued at N13.8 million on credit, a witness told the Judicial Commission of Enquiry investigating state finances between 2010 and 2014.
A Brand Manager at Coscharis Motors Limited, Mr. Justin Ngele, who testified before the panel at Thursday’s sitting, said Fayose got the Autobiography model of the Range Rover on September 9, 2015.
Ngele recalled that while the governor paid for the Range Rover, he was yet to pay for the two power bikes, which he said were delivered on July 13, 2015.
The brand manager, who was led in evidence by lawyer to Coscharis, Mr. Peter Jiya, said the two power bikes, which were used by the governor’s outriders, were supplied at N6.8 million each.
The witness said his firm supplied 156 units of various brands of Coscharis vehicles valued at N1,284,159,000, based on an oral agreement with the Kayode Fayemi administration.
Ngele, who was led in evidence by lawyer to Coscharis Motor, Peter Jiya, said the company sealed the deal based on the trust it had for the state government.
The brand manager said there was a letter of award by the state government on the purchase of additional 59 units of vehicles, which the company later supplied.
He added that of the 235 vehicles supplied between 2013 to 2014, N1.449 billion had been paid, leaving a balance of N459 million being owed the company.
But in his statement on oath, a witness from the Ministry of Local Government, Mr Samuel Akinjide, said the ministry received an invoice of N1,284,159,000 from the state government for 156 Ford Range of vehicles.
Akinjide said the ministry was mandated to finance the purchase of the 154 Ford Range vehicles, which were for traditional rulers.
The witness said even before the state government gave the directive, the then Commissioner for Finance, Mr Vincent Kolawole, had received the 156 vehicles.
He added: “Coscharis Motors, on May 2, 2014, requested for payment in respect of 235 vehicles, instead of the 156 units the ministry was directed to purchase.”
Akinjide said the local governments were to settle the debt on equal basis even though they did not solicit for it.
He said: “The General Administration Department (GAD) and the Ministry of Finance have been contacted but they all claimed ignorance of the purchase.”
The panel adjourned sitting till September 8 to enable Coscharis Motors present the original documents as evidence to be tendered because it rejected the photocopies supplied by the company’s lawyer.