Nigeria

Senate reportedly plans to spend N5.5bn on official cars for members

Thursday, August 15, 2019 at 1:24 PM by Khadijah Thabit

- Lawmakers in the National Assembly are reportedly planning to purchase official vehicles

- Principal officers in the Senate reportedly met to discuss the purchase of the vehicles

- An official in the National Assembly said the payment will be deducted from lawmakers' allowance

The National Assembly is reportedly making moves to purchase official vehicles for lawmakers.

Guardian reports that presiding officers in the Senate held a meeting on Wednesday, August 14, to discuss the procurement.

It was reported that a National Assembly official confirmed the development and said the amount will be deducted from lawmakers’ allowance. He hinted that the preferred brand being considered for senators is Toyota Land Cruiser SUV.

Recall that the Bukola Saraki-led eighth Senate spent about N4 billion at that time to purchase vehicles at a cost of N36 million.

With the estimated current price of the vehicle now N50 million, the Senate might need about N5.550 billion to get enough quantity for its members, and two additional vehicles.

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It was learned that the cars would be meant specifically for all chairmen and vice-chairmen of Senate committees.

Meanwhile, a report revealed how sharp practices allegedly characterised sales of National Assembly property during the transition from the 8th Assembly to the recently inaugurated 9th Assembly.

According to the report, sales of most of the property of the National Assembly used by members of the 8th Assembly revealed that the authorities of the apex legislative institution connived with outgoing federal lawmakers to sell the items at scandalously give-away prices.

Some of the items sold to the lawmakers at very ridiculous amounts included Toyota Land Cruiser, office computers, photocopiers and refrigerators, among others.

It was learnt that the National Assembly management gave out the Toyota Land Cruiser, a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), which was purchased between N24 million and N26 million each, to the senators and reps of the last Assembly for a paltry sum of N1 million.