Senate reportedly buys 108 SUVs at N35.1m each

There are reports that the Nigerian Senate has started taking delivery of 108 Toyota Land Cruiser Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV) which was purchased at N35.1m each.

In a report by Daily Trust, the SUVs, which the Senate ordered for members at the cost of N35.1m per unit actually costs N17m.

Read: Saraki replies Obasanjo over purchase of cars

The report further revealed that rather than spend N3.8 billion, the Senate would have spent half of the sum, N1.9billion on the official vehicles.

It was also revealed that the first set of the cars, numbering 36, was delivered last Tuesday, April 12, 2016 and distributed to senators last Wednesday, April 13, 2016.

The purchased vehicles is a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV V6 2016 model and valued at N17m each in showrooms across the country.

The delivery of the first set of cars, which was said to have been delivered to one senator from the 36 states of the country, came after members of standing committees could no longer perform their statutory functions as a result of paucity of funds.

Speaking with the medium, spokesperson of the Senate, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said the cars were a necessity, and not luxury.

In his words, “Let us face the reality, if Special Advisers can use cars like this as official cars, then why the noise about ours? A senator is representing a constituency, a district. Do you expect him to be trekking to discharge his duties? These cars are not a luxury, the cars are a practical and absolute necessity.”

Earlier in the year, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo had openly criticised the Senate and House of Reps for planning to buy 469 cars out of which 108 will be used by members of the Senate.