The unfortunate pronouncements by the Senate in its attempt to justify the purchase of 360 Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) by lawmakers in the House of Representatives and 109 SUVs for Senators, is to say the least, sad. It lacks sensibility and wisdom. It is not only insensitive but also highly provocative.
Before now, not a few Nigerians were embarrassed and scandalised by the approval of N57.6 billion for the purchase of luxury cars for the legislators. And they have expressed that disappointment in no unmistakable terms. But again, as is always the case, the senators came out to defend the choice of purchasing those vehicles over local brands in a manner that further exposes their lack of will and desire to grow local manufacturers.
Why am I so disappointed? How do you reconcile a statement by a supposedly elected Senator comparing themselves with ministers appointed by the president who are only sharing the mandate of the president and who are not accountable to any constituency.
Speaking last week, the senators called on Nigerians to focus on Ministers, who have more than three land cruisers, prado and other vehicles.
Chairman, Committee on Senate Services, Sunday 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?”
Explaining further why the lawmakers decided to go for the imported vehicles instead of local made, Karimi said, “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. Am I talking to somebody?
“I said the decision that we took on using a land cruiser is the cost and durability.”
The Senator said, “Before they came up with this. It is not the decisions of the senators alone, we did an analysis before arriving at land cruisers.
“It was based on a comparative analysis of the cost of technical issues and durability on Nigeria roads, are you getting me?
“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, and it will always come up.
“If you go to state houses of assembly today, check out most of them before they are even inaugurated, the governor would have bought vehicles waiting for them, even local government chairmen.”
I will have to crave the indulgence of my readers to quote Senator Karimi extensively, because the logic behind his deposition beats one’s imagination. He talked about durability, talked about our bad roads and said the reason the cost is bloated is a result of delayed payment plans of the government to contractors.
Karimi said, “The cost, let me tell you, hello, listen to me, you know I am the chairman, Senate service. When I came into the Senate, when they gave me their liability, they have a liability of over N16 billion that is made up of different vehicles of the 7th Assembly, 8th and 9th Assembly.
“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 they 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.”
Clearly, the least of worries of Senator Karimi and his contemporaries is the interests and well-being of the generality of Nigerians. If they insist on procuring SUVs to enable them access their constituencies, shouldn’t common sense have dictated that the senators should be more interested in fixing the roads and making them passable and usable by the people of their constituency who voted for them to also use the roads? What should be the interest or priority of the elected senators; is it being the only ones that can use the road with their SUVs or is it fixing the roads for all to use? See why that argument is lacking in logic and commonsense? By the way, how did the senators access those roads during campaigns and before their elections?
Again, can Senator Karimi, who was a two-term member of the House of Representatives, Yagba Federal Constituency, tell us what happened to the previous SUVs he got in the House? Or how many of such vehicles have several returning legislators like Ahmad Lawan received and what has happened to them?
On his claim on durability, with which parameters did he arrive at that conclusion? Is he saying that locally manufactured vehicles cannot serve them for four years in the assembly or that they are not as durable?
The only reason this has remained a recurring issue since the return to democracy is because politicians in the country are only driven by a craving for only foreign and imported goods and they are not alone because the executive too has fallen short in this regard. How then can we grow local production when those who are supposed to champion this are always seeking foreign imports? Perhaps, the senators need to be told that the foreign products they crave enjoy local patronage in their countries. Why is ours different, is it a carryover of colonial subjugation and mentality or what really?
It is a shame that the very arm of government that should lead the way through ensuring that the executive arm of government is put on check or who should ensure that budgetary appropriation meant for the executive is streamlined to avoid waste and to reflect the mood of the people are the same ones comparing themselves with local government chairmen and ministers. What a shame!
To those who insist that our politicians are always on the same page when it comes to swindling this nation, who can fault them? Why is it that not one legislator opted for a local brand like some governors have done? Why are all political parties in the National Assembly agreeing on this in spite of criticisms against the move?
Do these politicians not realise that Nigerians are currently experiencing one of the most excruciating pangs of hunger and deprivation ever witnessed in this country? Do they realise that it is an aberration to be talking of driving a car worth N160 million on our bad roads and in communities where several people go to bed with empty stomachs? If they do not care about how the people survive, are they also not bothered about putting themselves in harm’s way by living in communities where the population of our out-of-school children is increasing on a daily basis or where there is an alarming population of youths who are unemployed?
