Posted by Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja on
The Senate leadership has ordered for a Lexus Armoured B6 car valued at N39.8million for the President of the Senate, Chief Ken Nnamani.
The Senate leadership has ordered for a Lexus Armoured B6 car valued at N39.8million for the President of the Senate, Chief Ken Nnamani.
Our correspondent learnt that part payment has already been made for the car.
The Senate has also taken delivery of an RII50 RT Super Escort BMW motorcycle worth N5.5million for the convoy of the Deputy President of the Senate, Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu.
Investigations revealed that N19.9million, being 50 per cent of the cost of the bulletproof car, has been paid to Jatech Nigeria Limited, the firm that was awarded the supply contract.
The contract for the supply of the escort motorcycle was awarded to Coscharis Motors through a letter dated July 18, written by Masur S. Jarkasa, for the Clerk of the National Assembly.
At least N13.7million has also been spent to procure and install three soundproof generating sets for the use of some principal officers of the upper legislative chamber.
The expenditures have fuelled criticisms by certain members of the legislature, who have threatened to call the leadership to account.
When our correspondent contacted the chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Affairs, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN), on telephone on Wednesday, he initially denied the purchase of the items, saying he was hearing of it for the first time.
Ndoma-Egba, however, called our correspondent back about an hour later to confirm the purchase of the bulletproof car.
He said the car was provided for in the Senate's 2005 capital estimate, adding that it is only the President of the Senate who is entitled to a bulletproof car.
The President, the Vice-President, the Deputy President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and his deputy are all likewise entitled.
Reminded that the President of the Senate already has a bulletproof car in his convoy, Ndoma-Egba said the car that was inherited from the former occupier of the office, Chief Adolphus Wabara, had broken down.
'You will recall that Senator Wabara got stranded at the roadside at a certain time when the bulletproof car broke down. He was rescued by Senators Tunde Ogbeha and David Mark who gave him a lift in their car," the Senate spokesman stated.
One of the senators, who expressed concern over the expenditure, said the items could not have been ordered for in the public interest.
In Britain, the prime minister and other senior cabinet ministers use Jaguar cars.
Other cabinet ministers use the lesser 'Omega class." Though the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Gordon Brown, is entitled to a Jaguar, he opted for 'Vauxhall Omega."
Unlike in Nigeria, there are rules of disclosure in Britain that compel ministers, who are also parliamentarians, to disclose all expenses incurred in the use of their official cars.
The Special Adviser, Media, to the President of the Senate, Mr. Augsten Adamu, told our correspondent on Wednesday that decisions about the purchase of official vehicles are not taken by the President of the Senate, but by the leadership.
Adamu added, 'It was in 1999 that The Presidency gave the National Assembly one. And it has been having problems since then. In fact, one particular Senate President was stranded when it broke down.
'At the first executive session of the Senate in 2003, a decision was taken to buy one. But it was held till now because there was no budgetary provision for it. Since then, this is the first time there will be budgetary provision for it. So, it wasn't that he just woke up and decided on it. It won't serve any purpose for the Senate President to be stranded on the way because of an epileptic car."
The PUNCH, Thursday, November 03, 2005