Only in Nigeria: States Spent 35M Naira Over Yar’Adua’s Birthday

The Daily Trust reports how some state governors spent some $300,000 USD publishing congratulatory messages for the Nigerian president on his birthday. But they got the date wrong!

Over N35 million taxpayers’ money was spent by state governors, ministers and lawmakers sponsoring advert messages congratulating President Umaru Musa Yar’adua on his 57th birthday in national dailies, only to discover that the president was not born on July 9, as the over 100 coloured paged messages implied…

The national dailies began the publication of the congratulatory messages on Wednesday 9 and continued up to the Tuesday 15 when a national daily reported the fake birthday story. The confusion, Weekly Trust investigations revealed, was escalated by the government image maker and Minister of Information and Communications, Mr. John Odey, who also placed a congratulatory message to the president on behalf of his family and the ministry he is supervising on Wednesday the 9th.

Only in Nigeria!

On the web: Yar’adua’s birthday confusion: State govts blew over N35m

Hat-tip Ijebuman’s diary.