By Noah Nobert
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke has expended a sum of the N4,496,130,000 on six refurbished fire trucks, this medium has authoritatively learnt.
According to reliable sources in the Ministry of Finance, Office of the Governor and the State Fire Service, the trucks were procured mid-2024 and distributed to some fire stations in the state towards the end of the year.
Investigation by the medium further revealed that each of the fire truck costs a sum of $500,000 and converting the amount to naira gives approximately ₦749,355,000.00, based on the current exchange rate of 1 USD = N1,498.71.
It was further learnt that the trucks were procured by a contractor brought by Adeleke without the imput of the experts and when the trucks were delivered, the leadership of the State Fire Service reportedly expressed dismay over their cost and quality.
“Each of the trucks cost about $500,000 and Adeleke bought six of them at the total amount of N4.4billion.
“The venders were procured without the imput of the experts. They are refurbished trucks. The governor however bought them at the rate new ones were sold.
“When they were delivered towards the end of last year, the leadership of the State Fire Service openly condemned the trucks. The quality is not there and the cost is outrageous.
“We don’t know the contractor because there was no bidding before they bought them but we were told the supplier was paid upfront,” an official of the State Ministry of Finance,who confided in the our correspondent, said.
He continued, “When the governor directed that the trucks should be distributed to the fire stations across the state, the old truck bought by the Olagunsoye Oyinlola administration for Oke Fia Fire Station was to be removed and replaced.
“But the head of Fire Service that received the trucks, immediately he was told that the old fire vender in Oke Fia would be removed, advised that the old truck was by far stronger and better than the ones Adeleke bought.
“He told them not to remove the old vender. At that point, they moved the new ones to Ede, Iwo and left one in Osogbo. It is a waste that could have been avoided.”
