Reps under fire for receiving SUVs costing taxpayers #130 million each

Members of the House of Representatives have come under fire from local automakers, economists, and ordinary Nigerians for reportedly spending N130 million on brand new SUVs for themselves.

According to the Daily Sun, on Sunday, the House admitted that all 360 lawmakers had been given brand-new Prado SUVs worth a total of N57.6 billion, but insisted that the vehicles were not gifts but rather the property of the National Assembly.

Ajayi Oluwatobi, founder of a local vehicle manufacturing company called Nord Motors, responded to the news by saying his firm had proposed its vehicles to the lawmakers and explained how it would be better but had been rejected.

When we are all trying to promote buy Nigeria to grow the Naira, it is disheartening to see the National Assembly buying foreign-built vehicles at this time. We (Nigerian vehicle manufacturers and assemblers) actually offered our vehicles and explained why it made good economic, technical, and political sense to buy from us, so it’s all the more disappointing that they didn’t even bother to consider the offer.

How can you claim to represent Nigerians while turning down their country, especially after some of us have proven that we can provide the same high quality at a lower cost? If a Nigerian brand can provide the same quality at a lower price, there’s no reason to drive a foreign one. Without government assistance, the auto industry cannot thrive. The current model of Tesla is the result of years of funding from the United States government. We’re all for creating jobs, but we’re sending the chances to do so to other countries every chance we get,” he said.

Kingsley Moghalu, a former deputy CBN governor, also responded, saying that Nigeria is turning into a carcass and the political class into scavengers. He argued that the lawmakers’ behaviour proved that Nigeria is not yet ready to be taken seriously as a nation. When a country needs to borrow $1.5 billion from the World Bank for budget support but is also planning to spend N160 million on SUVs for 360 members of the House of Representatives, you know you have a problem. As a nation, we are not yet ready for this.

The political elite in Nigeria are turning the country into a carcass. If I were president of Nigeria or governor of a state, I would make it illegal for any government employee to use taxpayer money to purchase a car that wasn’t built in Nigeria. That’s one way in which leaders are showing their patriotism and dedication to saving money on government, he said.

If the National Assembly used those billions to order cars made in Nigeria from Innoson and NORD, it would be stimulative, it would create jobs, and it would boost the GDP of Nigeria, according to another financial expert, Kalu Aja. First and foremost, the National Assembly is a waste of money. Nigeria is too poor to afford the lifestyle of its leaders, according to BudgiT founder Oluseun Onigbinde, who also said, “When you earn N10 and spend N100, you don’t have a revenue problem, you have a spending problem.”