The management of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has denied a media report that its Director General, Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim is being investigated by the Federal House of Representatives over the fraudulent purchase of vehicles worth N46 billion naira and stationeries worth N23 million naira.
In a statement issued and signed by Solomon Danjuma Nshem, Deputy Director, Public Relations & Protocol at NOTAP, the agency under the purview of the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation(FMSTI), explained that it purchased the vehicles for N46 million naira in 2021 for the smooth operation of the Office and not N46billion as purportedly reported by an online news medium, capitalpost.com.
The statement reads: “This statement is to put things in the right perspective and encourage the Nigerian public to disregard such malicious information and note that the financial books of NOTAP are transparent and if any Nigerian wishes to have first-hand information on any of our activities or projects, he or she can request through the provision of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2011.
“Ordinarily, NOTAP would not have responded to this allegation but in order to put the records straight, we wish to unequivocally state that the said vehicles were not purchased at N46 billion naira but N46 million naira in 2021 for the smooth operation of the Office.
“The vehicles purchased were a 2021 model Toyota Prado Landcruiser and a 2021 model Toyota Yaris which were captured under the 2021 project vehicle budget line and directly purchased by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) accredited vendors after receiving a certificate of no objection from BPP,”.
It added that NOTAP under the present Management led by the unassuming Dr. DanAzumi is one of the most prudently managed government organizations if not the most prudent in the country, stressing that it beats one’s imagination to hear that an organization with an exceptional reputation like NOTAP is spending N46 billion to purchase vehicles.
The amiable Director General of NOTAP Dr. Ibrahim was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari on the 22nd of October 2015 for a 4-year tenure and reappointed for another 4-year term by Mr. President in October, 2019 for his dedication to duty, commitment, hard work, loyalty, prudent management of resources, passion and outstanding contribution towards the development of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) not only in Nigeria but Africa.
It is on record that between the years 2015 to 2019 which was Dr. Ibrahim’s first term in office, NOTAP saved the nation over N79.63 billion that would have left Nigeria’s shores as capital flight through its strict regulation of foreign technology transfer agreements.
This feat would have been impossible without the prudent, resourceful and highly disciplined leadership provided by Dr. Ibrahim which is glaring with the financial savings to the national economy and the building of a befitting office complex that is about 90 percent complete. The project was conceptualized by his predecessors and with Dr. Ibrahim’s resourcefulness, the project is almost completed.
