Plan To Purchase N40bn SUVs Splits Lawmakers

Twenty four hours after The Sun exclusively reported plans by the two chambers of the National Assembly- the Senate and the House of Representatives to spend N40 billion on Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) for members, new facts have emerged.

The Sun in the report had revealed plans to purchase 107 2023 model of Toyota Land Cruiser for senators and 2023 Toyota Prado for members of the House of Representatives.

The planned purchase, it was further reported, would be different from the official vehicles expected to be procured for the four presiding officers of the National Assembly, namely Senate President, Godswill Akpabio; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abass and Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau; and Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu.

Some senators who spoke to Daily Sun distanced themselves from the plans and called on the leadership of both chambers to settle for locally-assembled vehicles to reduce cost and recycle the funds in Nigeria. He said since the revelation became public they had been inundated with phone calls by their constituents and called on the leadership of the National Assembly to allow lawmakers decide on the best option to settle for.

One of the senators from the South East said it would be inhuman for him to drive an SUV of over N100 million when there were indigenous companies that assemble vehicles in Nigeria. He listed Innoson Motors, Kia Motors, Hyundai, among others. He said though they had been informed, he said the issue would be taken up again with the Senate Committee on Services to express their misgivings about the plans.

Another lawmaker, who reached out to Daily Sun, following the publication of the story, urged the National Assembly to halt the plan for now and allow for more consultations. He also urged the leadership of both chambers to pass resolutions and bar appointees of government at the federal level from purchasing vehicles for official use not produced or assembled in Nigeria.