The House of Representatives is set to purchase and distribute over 300 Prado SUVs, said to be worth N130 million each, to its members.
The House’s spokesperson, Akin Rotimi, in a statement on Sunday, October 15, in Abuja said the initiative aligned with existing procurement laws and that it was a customary practice in previous assemblies.
According to him, “We can confirm that the National Assembly bureaucracy is in the phased process of procuring and distributing operational vehicles to honourable members over the coming weeks and months.
This development is in accordance with extant procurement laws and has been the practice in previous assemblies. It is also not peculiar to the Legislature, as unelected government officials in the Executive arm of government from the Director level and above, in most cases, have official vehicles attached to their offices.
It is important to make a few clarifications. The vehicles to be allocated to the offices of honourable members are utility operational vehicles tied to their oversight functions in the discharge of their duties in the standing committees. They are not personal vehicles gifted to honourable members.
For the duration of the 10th assembly, spanning from 2023 to 2027, these vehicles will remain the property of the National Assembly. However, should the government’s extant assets deboarding policy still be in place at the end of the assembly’s tenure in 2027, lawmakers may have the option to purchase the vehicles before they become their property.”
