In this report, BENJAMIN SAMSON speaks with civil society organisations (CSOs) and informed Nigerians on the decision of the Senate to buy Special Utility Vehicles (SUVs) for members amidst current economic hardship in the country.
Members of both arms of the National Assembly – Senate and House of Representatives – have started receiving their brand new 2023 model Toyota Land Cruisers worth over N160 million each.
Blueprint weekend learned that female lawmakers were top priority in the distribution of the vehicles, as 12 of them have taken possession of their cars, while principal officers of the two chambers are billed to be the last to take possession of theirs.
An economist and convener of Nigerian Summit Group, Osagie Onyinme, in a chat with this reporter accused the leadership of the National Assembly of not being sensitive to the plights of Nigerians whom they represent.
He said: “Contentious as ever of public opinion, the 469 members of the National Assembly have started taking delivery of luxury SUVs estimated to eventually cost the taxpayer N57.6 billion.
“They brushed aside public opposition questioning the propriety of such expenditure at this time when majority of Nigerians are poor, the treasury is empty, the country indebted, and the economy wobbly. It is another sickening display of avarice by supposed representatives of the people. Nigerians should protest the outrageous expenditure.
“Unjustified in all material particulars, the lawmakers demonstrated their distance from the people, and their utter lack of patriotism by rejecting suggestions to patronise locally assembled vehicles, and at least keep some Nigerians in employment. But they insisted on spending scarce foreign exchange to satisfy their craving for foreign-made SUVs at public expense.
“Inflation hit 26.72 per cent in September, and food inflation 30.64 per cent. The naira exchange rate that impacts greatly on domestic prices, has similarly scaled N1, 200 to US$1. Nigeria ranks 109th among 125 countries in the 2023 Global Hunger Index, at a level designated as ‘serious,’ and confirming an alert by the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation that 25 million Nigerians risk hunger. A forecast by KPMG of 41 per cent unemployment this year is likely to turn out higher as the ongoing adversity worsens.”
An Akwa Ibom advocate and lawyer, Mfon Peters, said, “Most of them spend eight years in the Senate without sponsoring even one bill, without also affecting the lives of their constituents. In Nigeria, most constituents do not know or have access to their senators. Therefore, it becomes a problem why we even send them there.
“For a country that is already troubled because of the so-called removal of fuel subsidy, the senators are justifying why they prefer using SUVs. They are saying one of such reasons is because the vehicle can withstand the bad roads in Nigeria, so who is deceiving who now? “If the roads are bad, whose responsibility is it to fix the roads? Look at the Calabar-Itu road, passengers sleep on that road every day, but we have senators who should be able to tell the President what is happening on that road.
“Now, if you believe an SUV will help you drive on the Nigerian roads, what about the average person? Those who do not have SUVs would have to fly on the roads. When I listen to some of our senators speak, like the chair of the Senate Services Committee, his opinion is preposterous and it does not show that they have Nigerians at heart. The economy is in tatters, prices of commodities, goods, and services have skyrocketed; there is serious inflation in Nigeria as we speak, and our senators believe they need to drive SUVs, worth billions of Naira. It is pathetic.
“Yet, after four years, they will come back to seek votes they do not deserve. However, it is okay to let the electorate keep learning their lessons until they cast their votes and stand by the polling units to protect their votes. Some senators are a huge disappointment to this country and to Nigerians. It just shows the intellectual content of the senators that we have; it shows paucity of ideas and lack of concern for Nigeria’s predicament.”
CSOs kick
Likewise, the convener, South South Reawakening Group (SSRG), Elder Joe Ambakederimo, said: “Those who were governors, some few years back, are the ones now complaining of bad roads across the country, after claiming to have constructed world class roads while they held sway in their various states.
“I think this statement is self-indicting, and it is enough for a mass resignation of the National Assembly members. “They did not make the vehicles regarding the bad roads we have in Nigeria. They build SUVs to provide maximum comfort for users; they, purposely, manufacture vehicles made for bad roads ruggedly.
“Therefore, it is a revelation now that they do not even know the use of the vehicles they sought to have. Going further, the move is very unpatriotic and every right thinking Nigerian should question it given the current economic stagnation and the impact of this capital flight on the economy.
“Sadly, this vehicle purchase imbroglio keeps rearing its ugly head every four years, and it does not seem it will stop. Therefore, it is my view that this matter should rest because those who came with the mantra to make a new Nigeria possible have shown no sign to reject the use of this type of vehicle. Also, those criticising the purchase may do the same when they find themselves in a privileged position.”
Similarly, the coordinator, Nigeria Peace Coalition (NPC), Zik Gbemre, queried, “Is this craziness a show of legislative force or legislative corruption? How dare federal lawmakers appropriate to themselves such new cars at such outrageous cost? “Is it not shameful for them to have behaved like drunken sailors sailing in a deep ocean? Have they lost their minds? No normal public office holder will approve new vehicles for themselves in a country where everything is upside down.
“Why are labour leaders quiet? .This is enough for the unionists to declare a strike against the legislators for daring to approve new brand land cruiser jeeps where the people lack the basic things of life. “The entire country is in darkness because of the increase in the cost of fuel to run generators since power is not available for the people.
“Nigerians are suffering untold hardships. I am pained that Nigeria lacks leaders with conscience. Do they have family members? Are their family members comfortable with their decision to buy new jeeps when many Nigerians are suffering untold hardships? “Their legislative role is supposed to be part-time. What do they need new cars for, and so expensive? It is painful that the cost of governance in Nigeria is 100 percent higher than in any developed nation of the world.”
Citizens’ concerns
A cross-section of Nigerians who spoke with our reporter on X (formerly known as Twitter) expressed disappointment with the National Assembly.
An X user, Yunus Sani, said, “Using Nigeria road as a yardstick, what happens to the common Nigerians using the road with their personal cars? Moreso, why not patronising Innoson motors?”
Kenny Oluwatuyi described the decision as “total selfishness”, questioning why the senators complained over the same roads that ordinary Nigerians plied on a daily basis.
“The day our leadership (Executive, Legislative and even Judiciary) agree and start making painful sacrifices for Nigeria to reform is the day government will get the voluntary support of the Nigerian people. Until then, we’re just joking, paying lip service to national development.”
Black Rose said, “It is a call to service not a call for comfort. Buying SUVs for lawmakers is not only wasteful but it shows their character. That day the poor will have the courage to challenge the status quo.
“The cost of clearing a car was outrageously increased to stop importation of foreign cars for Nigerians, so, with this statement, the lawmakers are acknowledging Naija-made cars aren’t durable enough as such should review cost of clearing a car at the port.”
Daddy Kiki said it’s not necessarily a “waste of resources” if the cars were not to be used for “personal use” by the legislators. “They could easily get sold for good value at an auction to raise money to buy another set every 4 years.”
Samuel Adewale said, “Surprise and shameful things will not end in this country. Is it not a shameful thing for our so-called representatives both in the upper and lower Houses of Assembly comparing themselves with the lavish spending of the ministers as an excuse to buy SUVs for themselves at the exorbitant rate?
“When people are dying of hunger, when our naira is useless to a dollar as at today a dollar is at the rate of one thousand two hundred and thirty five naira, our senators and representatives did not think of how to make lives better for the masses, SUVs is their priorities.
“People who are supposed to make laws against the unnecessary spending of the executives are those giving durability as an excuse to buy SUVs as if those cars will last forever. May God deliver us from termites and cankerworms in humans that are representing us in government?”
Justification
Meanwhile, the Senate has justified the purchase of 360 Sports Utility Vehicles for its members.
The Red Chamber was, however, silent on the actual cost of each vehicle, but explained that members preferred the imported SUVs to locally manufactured ones.
Reacting to the development at a news conference, the chairman of the Committee on Senate Services, Sunday Karimi, noted that Nigerians were picking on lawmakers, but ignoring ministers who got about four official vehicles.
Karimi said, “Somebody that is a minister has more than three Land Cruisers, Prado and other vehicles and you are not asking them questions, why us?
“These vehicles that you see, go to Nigeria roads today, If I go home once, to my senatorial district, I come back spending a lot on my vehicles because our roads are bad.
“I said the decision that we took on using a Land Cruiser is the cost and durability.”
He said further that, “Before they came up with this. It is not the decisions of the senators alone, we analysed arriving at Land Cruisers. It was based on a comparative analysis of the cost of technical issues and durability on Nigerian roads.
“We want something that we can maintain for another four years and the issue of buying vehicles from the National Assembly, you know it is a recurring issue, it occurs every assembly, it will always come up.”
Karimi added, “If you got to the state Houses of Assembly today, check out most of them before they were even inaugurated, the governor would have bought vehicles waiting for them, even local government chairmen.
“I drove the vehicle my local government chairman uses, so why the National Assembly?”
Justifying the high cost of the vehicles, Karimi said it was because the National Assembly owed the suppliers about N16bn.
He said, “I am the chairman of the senate service. When I came into the senate, when they gave me their liability, they had a liability of over N16 billion that is made up of different vehicles of the 7th, 8th and 9th Assemblies.
“If you are a businessman and you supply vehicles for somebody in 2014 or 2015 or so and up till now they owe you.
“I am not trying to defend anybody, if you see them selling Land Cruisers in the market, let’s say it is A cost, you don’t expect somebody that will supply it to supply it at the price they are selling it in the market.
“It has to leave a margin and the civil service for supply allowed for 25% margin plus that and VAT and I think that VAT is 7.5. Out of that 25% margin, they will still remove 5% tax from it.
“You are telling someone to supply and he may even not end up making payment for three years and you want him to supply at the price they are selling in the market, it is not possible.”
