In 2018, Governor Lalong announced the purchase of 400 tractors for the use of farmers across Plateau State.
PREMIUM TIMES
In March 2018, former Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong announced that the state government had procured 400 tractors for farmers across the state. The news was widely reported in the newspapers, as can be seen here, here, here, and here.
However, when former President Muhammadu Buhari was invited to commission the tractors, only 40 of them were on display. Mr Lalong explained that this was because the Government House premises used for the ceremony could not contain all the tractors.
A controversy has since raged on the whereabouts of the tractors as most farmers in the state still lack access to modern farm implements.
Plateau State is a leading food producer in Nigeria. Its landscape, fertile soil, and temperate climate make the state suitable for large-scale farming. Yet, the state’s agriculture sector is still dominated by subsistence farming.
Who did what?
The state’s Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) portal stated that the state government procured “400 Tractors and farm implements in 2019” at a total cost of “NGN 5.6 billion.” The agencies and groups involved in the procurement process were “Plateau State Ministry of Agriculture, Plateau State Ministry of Finance, Plateau State Bureau of Public Procurement, Office of Accountant General, Plateau State Local Governments (17 LGAs), Tractor Owners Beneficiaries, Plateau State Government, and Commercial Banks.”
However, the state’s Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has said it was not aware of the project. In response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request sent to his office, the bureau’s director-general, Yabilsu Dogo, said the bureau, which was established to ensure transparency and accountability in government procurement processes, said it was not aware of the procurement.
“I wish to categorically inform you that the Bureau of Public Procurement has no records of the said Procured Tractors, hence not in a position to answer the questions raised in your letter. You may wish to confirm from the State Ministry of Agriculture if it has such information, please,” Mr Dogo wrote in a letter.
In its response through its Programme Manager, Ishaku Jilemsam, Plateau Agricultural Development Programme (PADP) noted: “As far as we may not be able to tell whether there was such procurement of the 400 tractors in question or not, we emphatically wish to state that we did not receive the tractors neither can we tell about the current state of the tractors and whether they are in use or not…”
The Agricultural Services Training Centre and Marketing Ltd (ASTC & M Ltd., through its Managing Director/CEO, Susan Bentu, also said it was “not aware of any transaction regarding the procurement of any 400 tractors said to have been procured during the Lalong’s administration. We do not know how many tractors were procured during the period. We have (had) 300 tractors for mechanised agricultural operations since our establishment.
“None was received from the Plateau State government during the period under review (Lalong’s administration). Since ASTC & M Ltd was never a part of the team for the said procurement, and or beneficiary it cannot say who the beneficiaries of those said 400 tractors are…”
The other agencies said to be involved either in the procurement or implementation of the project did not respond to the FOI requests as of the time of this report, despite many reminders.
‘PPP, not direct contract’
Hakar Engineering Nigeria Limited supplied the tractors to the state government. The company refused to officially reply to questions about its roles in the procurement. However, a senior official of the firm said the purchase did not go through the normal public procurement process because it was not a “direct contract.”
The official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to journalists, explained the company’s role.
“It was not a contract. The whole thing started in 2016 when we presented the tractorisation idea and sought a partnership with the state government.
“It was a tripartite partnership that involved the Plateau State Government, Hakar Engineering, and farmers to revolutionise agricultural activities. The scheme was to allow farmers to own tractors at subsidised rates and pay overtime.
“Each tractor was N14 million. It was to be funded by all stakeholders at different levels as counterpart contributions. The state was to pay 30 per cent, the local government 10 per cent and the farmers 60 per cent. The farmers were to pay 10 per cent of the cost of a tractor as a down payment and the remaining balance was to be spread over three years. As the tractors are working and they make a profit, they remit the payment into an agreed account.
“When the programme came in, it was a complete package and had mechanisation, agricultural development, youth empowerment, community farming, and land development. The government was to subsidise the tractors for farmers to enable them own tractors to develop agriculture.
