In a period in which the reputation
of the Nigerian legislature was diving towards record lows, then came
revelation that the Senate had against popular opinion commenced the receipt of
108 brand new Toyota Land Cruisers.
The
2016 model SUVs were ordered by the Senate purportedly for the purpose of
carrying out their committee activities. The excuse of using the vehicles for
committee work was ostensibly to cover the fact that each of the 109 senators
had earlier received 300% of their salaries as car loans. The decision of the
Senate has been slammed by a cross section of Nigerians with labour taking the
initiative.
Even before the vehicles started arriving,
when news of the purchase first came to public attention, Former President
Olusegun Obasanjo had blasted the lawmakers saying that the excuse of using the
vehicles for committee work was not sufficient. Obasanjo in a concession to
them had suggested that they should rather have purchased fewer utility
vehicles or buses. However, as everyone knows the vehicles are for the senators
and not for the committees as the committee clerks who run the committees are
not in charge of the vehicles.
Only the senators with their
spokesman, Senator Abdullahi Sabi have seen the justification in the purchases.
Senator Sabi’s seemingly preposterous justification was that senators were
entitled to the vehicles given the fact that special advisers to the president
were also cruising around in SUVs. Given the circumstances of the Nigerian
nation the decision of the Senate to go ahead with the purchase of the vehicles
was seen as particularly revolting given the state of the economy with workers
in many states not having received their salaries for months.
COST OF THE VEHICLE
 |
| The Toyota Land Cruiser 2016 model |
The
vehicles which cost N35.1 million each would at the end of the day cost the
Nigerian tax payers N3.79 billion, almost all of which will be flowing out of
the country to sustain job growth in other countries. This inclination of
senators for exotic foreign vehicles is despite the fact of a growing
automobile industry in the country. If they had chosen to buy Innoson brand of
SUVs, it could well have been imagined how they would have promoted local
vehicles and the number of jobs that they would have created and helped to sustain.
The choice of foreign branded vehicles in the face of local alternatives is a
pitiable indication of the low patriotism of our elected lawmakers feeding fat
on our common heritage. The Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC faulted the purchase
of the vehicles on three grounds: COST, CORRUPTION, and CONSCIENCE. The NLC in
a statement issued by its national president. Describing the decision to forge
ahead with the purchases in the face of excruciating financial pains in the
country, the NLC president, Ayuba Wabba, in the statement said: “We consider
appalling, insensitive and greedy the decision of the Senate to acquire 108
Toyota Land Cruiser jeeps (one for each member less the Senate President) after
collecting car “loans” in August last year for the same purpose,” Mr. Wabba
said. “It is equally morally despicable and shameful that they are doing this
after publicly admitting that the standing committees of the Senate are unable
to perform their statutory functions due to paucity of funds.” “We at the Nigeria
Labour Congress equally consider it a willful and grievous criminal act the
inflation of the unit cost of each of the cars by over a 100 percent, as each
car supposedly cost N35.1 million instead of N17 million. “Aside from this,
Nigerians are keen to know from where they got money for the purchase of these
cars without appropriation.” Pooh-poohing the arguments projected by the Senate
spokesman, the NLC said: “The defence offered by the Senate spokesperson, Aliyu
Sabi Abdullahi, is laughable and childish.
According
to him, Special Advisers use jeeps, why not Senators or do Nigerians expect
them to trek to work? And in any case, cars are capital projects! “Couldn’t
this have been put to better uses such as the constituency projects of these
same Senators? At a time with severe economic challenges and deepening poverty
in the land, can the Senate afford this level of reckless luxury and arrogance?
“The answer is “no”. “Their multiple acts of criminality, ranging from
acquiring these cars after previously taking loans for the same purpose;
spending money without appropriation and over inflating costs constitute not
just corruption but a crime against the Nigerian people whom they claim to
represent,” Mr. Wabba said. “Accordingly, we demand they return those cars to
whoever supplied them, or the appropriate agencies prosecute them for
corruption. “In the event none of this happens, they should be prepared to keep
a date with Nigerian workers and their civil society allies including market
women and students. “No one is above the law,” the NLC declared. Will the House
be different? The situation is almost similar in the House of Representatives
where the legislators have also been reported to have ordered for committee
vehicles. However, apparently learning from the angst of Nigerians with
senators, the members have ordered for lower branded vehicles and have chosen
Peugeot 508. The Peugeot vehicles it was learnt are to cost the tax payers N3.8
billion. The choice of Peugeot it was learned was to empower the Nigerian
agents of Peugeot of France. Just as the senators, the members of the House
have overlooked the country’s economic priorities. House spokesman, Abdulrazaq
Namdas told a national daily that the House decided to go for a local supplier
in order to increase the company’s revenue base. But how far increasing the
particular vendor’s revenue base at the cost of the general economy of
increasing job opportunities using a locally made vehicle is another thing.
Each of the Peugeot 508 vehicles is expected to cost N10 million, a good amount
of money that in ordinary times should have been well utilised towards boosting
the economy in each of the 360 federal constituencies. But for legislators
inclined to luxury, self-precedes collective interest.
1 Comments