How Ngige begged Tinubu for a car in 2004 – Ex-aide, Akunna reveals

A former Chief Press Secretary to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige has claimed his ex-boss begged Bola Tinubu, the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for an armoured car.

The ex-aide, Chuks Akunna’s disclosure is coming at a time when Ngige compared himself to Tinubu.

The Minister had while appearing before an ad-hoc committee of the House of Representatives, told a lawmaker, James Faleke that he was “Tinubu’s mate.”

Ngige, while answering questions over an alleged breach of a presidential directive, compared himself to Tinubu, while calling Faleke “a small boy.” 

However, Akunna in a social media rant disclosed that Ngige during his tenure as the governor of Anambra State had begged Tinubu for an armoured car in 2004.

Ngige was governor of Anambra State between 2003 and 2006.

Akunna claimed it was Tinubu’s car gift that prompted Ngige to later acquire another armoured vehicle.

In a tweet, Akunna wrote: “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.”