The Imo state government has described as distasteful and cheap blackmail the claim by Innoson motors that it is owing the company N2.5 billion being cost of the vehicles it supplied to it some months ago, insisting that the company’s claim are half truths, intended to impugn on the integrity of the state government for ulterior motives.
Reacting to a threat by the company that it is filling a lawsuit to recover “over N2.5 billion debt owed” it by the state government, the commissioner for information and strategy, Hon. Declan Emelumba decried the manner the company is going about the recovery of the so called debt.
The commissioner said the truth is that the government bought vehicles worth over N5 billion from Innoson motors and has so far paid them N3.5 billion.
According to him, contrary to the claim of Innoson motors, the said N2.5 billion is actually the balance due from the original value of the purchase.
He regretted that Innoson motors, for reasons best known to them, decided to hide this fact from the public.
Emelumba insisted that the total value of the vehicles supplied was in excess of N5 billion and that the government has been servicing the debt since then.
He said the management of Innoson motors was actually the one that breached the contractual agreement with the state government regarding the sale and maintenance of the vehicles.
According to him, there is a clause in the purchase agreement stipulating the siting of a maintenance workshop in owerri and a mobile workshop as well , by Innoson Motors, for the maintenance of the vehicles.
He noted that inspite of the fact that the company breached this agreement, the state government has been servicing the debt and still maintaining the vehicles, disclosing that more than 70 per cent of the vehicles have already broken down.
He said both the threat by the company and resort to media trial of the government were in bad faith.
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