Nasarawa State governor, Umar Tanko Al-Makura has denied speculations doing the rounds that he has expended over N 1.5 billion from the state treasury for his son’s wedding ceremony which took place in the United States about a week ago, describing it as malicious and silly.
In a press statement signed by his senior special assistant on media and press affairs, Sani Musa Mairiga, Governor Umar Tanko Al-Makura said the allegations are baseless, unwarranted and unfounded. “This is the handiwork of mischief makers and enemies of progress for inflaming the social media with incongruous reports that the state government sponsored the wedding ceremony and shouldered all expenses of those who attended the wedding Fatihat of Abdul Tanko Al-makura and his bride Aneesa” .
The press statement further put rational scrutiny on how such a stupendous amount of money would be spent on wedding sponsorship when the state receives about the same amount in monthly allocation from the federation account.
“How on earth would a wedding ceremony consume such amount of money which amounts to 70 per cent of the monthly allocation that accrues to the state from the federation account? Al-makura is not a pauper even before he become governor, so spending such amount of money from his personal account is nothing, but as a prudent and accountable leader he cannot afford that extravagance” the statement said.
He therefore urged members of the public to “disregard the misrepresentations of facts made to hoodwink them in order to achieved cheap political goals by his enemies” and appealed to the people of Nasarawa State to give their maximum support to the government of Umar Tanko Al-makura in its quest to transform the state.