Posted by By AUGUSTINE AVWODE, JAMES OJO & WILLY EYA on
With 350 brand new cars now on offer, leadership of the House of Representatives may have declared a massive bonanza for its members, what Sunday Sun learnt is, an attempt to appease the lawmakers and ensure that there are no proverbial banana peels on the floor of the chamber.
•Reps splash N2.7bn on new cars
•N.6bn for guest houses
•N.5bn to renovate Speaker's house
With 350 brand new cars now on offer, leadership of the House of Representatives may have declared a massive bonanza for its members, what Sunday Sun learnt is, an attempt to appease the lawmakers and ensure that there are no proverbial banana peels on the floor of the chamber.
The vehicles are now being distributed from the car park of the International Conference Center, Abuja.
Understandably, it was part of the numerous promises reportedly made by the Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, before he was guided to ascend the exalted position.
For the Principal Officers and Chairmen of the standing committees, the House purchased no fewer than 80 brand new Peugeot 407 cars estimated at N480million. But in all, Sunday Sun learnt that the House would spend about N2.75billion on vehicles. Contracts for the supply of the vehicles were allegedly executed by a few Principal and Presiding Officers.
The vehicles that were provided for in the House budget are as follows:
Oversight enhancement, departmental, utility, ambulance and fire fighting vehicles.
Interestingly, N80million was also earmarked for furnishing the Fire Service station.
Indeed, automobile is not all that the House leadership is splurging on. Exquisite accommodation is another.
The budget, it was also learnt, provides N600million to purchase Guest Houses for both the Speaker and his deputy.
But on inquiry, the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) reportedly told the House that it would cost N500million to renovate the Speaker's official residence.
Perhaps to keep away prying eyes, the lawmakers are under instruction not to paint the town red just yet, ostensibly to avoid media spotlight.
A source close to the House told Sunday Sun at the weekend that the decision to be discreet about the distribution of the piece of automobile was to avoid the pitfall of the Patricia Etteh saga, which became a media scandal, and eventually cost the former Speaker her position.
Etteh had proposed to buy only 10 Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV) for the Principal Officers of the House of Reps, before the house renovation contract scandal was propped up to force her to resign.
Today, with a new leadership in place, not only Principal Officers are getting the top of the range cars but indeed all 70 committee chairmen. Other members, it was learnt, have been assigned the less fantastic, yet sleek cars. Among them are some of the vociferous lawmakers who spearheaded the fall of the former Speaker.
However, some committee chairmen are yet to, according to a source, 'summon courage" to go and collect theirs.
Reason: The source revealed that one of the committee chairs said he is not in a hurry to go and collect his, until he is certain of the public reaction to the issue when it hits the media.
The Rep member, according to the source, is not unmindful of the uproar that greeted the Patricia Etteh saga.
Said the source: 'I can confirm to you that the chairmen have started taking delivery of the cars, but with instruction to keep it off Abuja streets. But guess what? Already, some of them have breached omata - (the oath of silence). In fact, hardly had some taken delivery of the posh cars than they started painting the streets red. Their first point of call, as a way of showing off, was the National Assembly complex. The next was Cedi Plaza, where the rich now unwind in the evenings."
Sunday Sun sighted a chairman of one of the committees from the South-South driving into Cedi Plaza on Thursday evening, with a lady who serves in another committee of the House.
Contacted on phone, the House Whip, Hon Emeka Ihedioha, confirmed the purchase of the cars but denied that they were to appease members.
Said he: 'No, that was not the reason for the purchase of the cars. It was agreed last year that the cars should be bought."
Ihedioha, however, denied knowledge of the cost. Prodded further for the identity of the contractor, he quipped:
'What do you mean my friend? You must be stupid to ask me that question. I said you are stupid, who is a contractor?"
He promptly switched off his phone.