Chuks Akunna, a former chief press secretary to Chris Ngige, says the ex-governor of Anambra state, begged former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for an armoured car in 2004.
Ngige is the current minister of labour and employment. But he was governor of Anambra State from 2003 to 2006.
Akunna said via his Twitter handle that the incident took place when his former boss visited Tinubu in 2004.
The former media aide to Ngige said it was the car gift that prompted the former Anambra governor to later acquire another armoured vehicle.
Akunna tweeted, “In ’04, visiting Asiwaju Tinubu in Lagos, my boss Gov Ngige spotted this car. ‘Bola, pls dash me. I want to use it in Abuja.’ ‘Ah ah! Ngige, this is old nah,’ replied Asiwaju. ‘I don’t mind. Anambra is poor. I’ll manage it.’ Surprised to hear Onwa deriding his benefactor.
“Did you know how the G-wagon came about? The Lagos trip happened after we literally begged him to buy it. The beast Tinubu gifted him was moved to Abuja. That was Ngige’s “Abuja vehicle” until the CoA removed him in March ’06.
“His official car was a Peugeot 406. After the March 3, ’04, attack on Gov Akume’s convoy, in which an ex-Nig Airways MD Andrew Agom, was killed, my boss agreed to buy the armoured G-Class. It was after the purchase he fell in love with armoured cars. Jagaban’s gift was armoured.”
But Ngige had yet to reply to calls and text messages as of the time of filing this report.
The minister had on Tuesday, while appearing before House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the suspension of the management of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, caused a mild drama when he told members of House that he’s older than all of them, and referred to a member representing Ikeja Federal Constituency, James Faleke, as a “small boy from Mushin.”
The minister claimed he was of the same age bracket with Tinubu, who is seen as Faleke’s political godfather.