Did FCT Minister really donate 22 buses to Bauchi PDP?

He alleged that some 22  buses were donated to the Bauchi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), leaving out the FCT where these buses are needed more.Mr Ehirim, who queried the rationale behind this donation, also alleged that the transportation sector in the FCT was yet to witness any tangible development.“This council is […]

He alleged that some 22  buses were donated to the Bauchi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), leaving out the FCT where these buses are needed more.
Mr Ehirim, who queried the rationale behind this donation, also alleged that the transportation sector in the FCT was yet to witness any tangible development.
“This council is indeed worried by the donation of 22 18-seater buses by the FCT minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, to the Bauchi State chapter of the PDP. Conservatively, each unit costs N6.5 million. It will interest us to know where the minister got N143 million for the buses.
“Our concern is also informed by the fact that the transport sector in the FCT is yet to see any appreciable improvement,” Mr. Ehirim stated.
But the minister, as one who has a lot of respect for the media, wasted no time to correct the impression that he donated buses to the PDP in his home state of Bauchi.
He invited the NUJ for a chat, where he explained that those buses were not really donated by him as a person but by his friends, associates and supporters who felt there was need for him to replicate in Bauchi State, the good things he has been doing in the FCT. He further explained that they even want him to become the governor of the state come 2015. He said it was such people that contributed resources for the donation. He advised NUJ to conduct an independent investigation into the matter and see the facts for themselves.
In response to that call, the NUJ conducted an investigation and absolved the minister of blames. According to Mr. Ehirim in a statement he made available to the press, “The Council investigated and found out that actually, those buses were not presented by the minister himself but by people who are close to him. In this country, some people can even go to the extent of printing posters or purchasing aspiration forms for those they feel should contest elective positions. Our investigation proved just like the minister explained.”
But the NUJ chairman failed to withdraw the allegation that there has been no appreciable development in the transportation sector in FCT, which again is a far cry from the truth. This is because the transport sector in the FCT, on the contrary, has really witnessed tremendous developments since Bala Mohammed became minister.
If Ehirim takes time out of his busy schedule to actually drive around the city centre and its environs, he would see tremendous improvement.
It is therefore not correct to say that transportation in the FCT has not witnessed any appreciable development.
Mukhtar Al-Haqim, Wuse II, Abuja.