By Jonathan Ipaa,
In the face of
suffering induced by the Tinubu’s fuel price hike, adject poverty and insecurity associated hardship citizens are going through, our Lawmakers want to display Jumbo Cars apparently, a show of wealth while their constituents wallow in adject poverty.
The National Assembly will be expending over N40 billion of the taxpayers’ money to purchase very expensive Super Utility Vehicles, SUV for lawmakers.
No fewer than 107 units of the 2023 model of the Toyota Landcruiser and 358 units of the 2023 model of Toyota Prado would be procured for the use of members of the Senate and the House of Representatives respectively.
The planned purchase is different from the official vehicles expected to be purchased for the four presiding officers of the National Assembly.
These are President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abass; Deputy President of the Senate, Jibrin Barau; and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu.
The Senate Committee on Services, saddled with the responsibility of purchasing vehicles for lawmakers, will handle the negotiations and take delivery of them. Senate President, Akpabio, had, during the week, constituted the Committee on Senate Services, headed by Kogi West senator, Sunday Karimi.
Though the Committee is expected to work with the management of the National Assembly, the purchase is the sole responsibility of the Senate. The least amount for a 2023 model of Toyota Land Cruiser is N125 million.
For the full option of the same brand, it goes for as high as N135 million.
“The on-road quality will be made smoother than ever. All the trims will come with four-wheel drive, centre locking, terrain camera view, and many other off-road features.
“Features you’ll find in the new model include Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, 10-speaker audio system, 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, 8-way power-adjustable passenger seat, Heated and Ventilated front seats, Quad-zone climate control, Wireless Charging and Head-up display,” the car dealer give breakdown of the Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV).
The Senate Committee on Services is also expected to handle the purchase of two bulletproof vehicles for Akpabio and two for his deputy, Barau.
The car dealer put the amount needed to purchase a bulletproof vehicle produced in 2023 at over N300 million. Some members of the House are of the opinion that since senators are using Toyota Landcruiser, it will not be out of place for House of Representatives members to upgrade to Prado jeeps.
- Ipaa is the President, Middle Belt Journalists Forum.
