Choice of exotic cars divides Reps!

Like their counterparts in the Senate, the 360
members of the House of Representatives will
also own new exotic cars worth billions of naira.
The difference is that unlike the Senate which has
already ordered Toyota Land Cruisers for its 109
members at the cost of N4.7bn, the House will
tarry till 2016 to make its order, owing to a cash
crunch.
Investigations by Punch showed that a decision
had been taken that cars would be purchased for
the members in 2016.
However, what is in dispute is the brand of exotic
automobiles the politicians will cruise next year in
and out of the National Assembly.
Findings by Punch showed that at a series of
discussions held over the choice of cars to buy,
opinions were divided between buying Peugeot
508 and the 2015 model of Toyota Camry.
One official, who was a party to the discussions,
said, “There is no dispute about the fact that new
cars will be bought for the oversight duties of
committees. Of course, they will be driven by
members because they are the ones to carry out
the oversight duties.
“But, there is no agreement as yet on the brand to
buy. That has not been decided.
“Besides, the finances of the House may not
accommodate the budget for the cars this year.
So, the projection is that the vehicles will be
bought in 2016.”
Investigations by Punch showed that while the
majority of the over 223 new members of the
House who are first-timers from June this year
preferred Toyota Camry, some of the older
members, including the leadership of the House,
were said to have opted for Peugeot 508.
Checks by Punch put the factory price of Peugeot
508 at N9.5m per unit or N3.4bn for 360 units.
On the other hand, the Toyota Camry’s market
price is about N12m or N4.3bn for 360 units.
A senior National Assembly told Punch on
condition of anonymity that the new members
reportedly opted for Camry because they believed
its durability and “impressive presence.”
But, the leadership and some older members were
said to have chosen the Peugeot 508 for the fact
that it was assembled in Nigeria.
The source said, “Their position is that this is in
the spirit of ‘made in Nigeria.’ They are looking at
growing the Nigerian economy. They also feel this
is a way of creating more job opportunities for
Nigerians by buying locally-assembled cars.”
The Leader of the House, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila,
also confirmed to Punch that he was aware that
“utility vehicles” would be bought for committee
duties.
“I am not aware of cars for members, but I am
aware of utility cars for the committees,”
Gbajabiamila stated in a terse response to
inquiries by Punch .
It was gathered that the 360 units were aside
additional units to be procured for the services of
the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara; the Deputy
Speaker, Mr. Yussuff Lasun; Gbajabiamila and
other principal officers of the House.