Deputy Senate President defends purchase of cars for Senate c’ttees

dimeji akinloye

January 6, 2016 5:28 PM

Defending the car purchases, he said it is to ensure the Senate committees deliver on their duties without hiccups.

Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu

Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekwerenmadu, has described the cash provision for the purchase of vehicles for Senate Committees as “a necessary expenditure.”

Speaking during the presentation of about 100 tertiary scholarship awards to students in Umunumo, Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, Ekweremadu attributed the high cost of the purchase of vehicles to the increase of the exchange rate.

“It is an indisputable fact that the exchange rate for the dollar has hit the skies in these days and age and this has adversely affected every other commodity in the country,” Ekweremadu said.

Defending the purchases, he said it is to ensure the Senate committees deliver on their duties without hiccups.

“It is not a crime to buy vehicles for the use of Senate committees. This would enable members of the various committees to carry out their assignments without hitches,” he added.

However, while lauding the scholarship awards powered by Senator Athan Achonu, the Senate leader said it is a life changing educational empowerment programme "where Senator Achonu is giving hope to the indigent but academically sound students, to study through the university and acquire knowledge in order to have an educated society.”

In his address, Achonu, a PDP senator representing Okigwe senatorial zone of Imo State, accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of planning to make Nigeria a one political party state, pointing that whatever crisis Nigeria is facing under the leadership if the party is "traceable to lack of management.”

dimeji akinloye