Legislators elected into the National Assembly on the platform of the Labour Party, LP, have jettisoned the advice of the party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure, who asked them not to take delivery of the official vehicles being planned for federal lawmakers.
Recall that Abure, in a statement on Monday, condemned the leadership of the National Assembly for planning to purchase Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) at the outrageous amount of N160 million for each lawmaker, describing the plan as insensitive to the sufferings of Nigerians given the difficult economic hardship people are facing.
He went in to urge lawmakers elected on the platform of the Labour Party not to be a part of the wasteful and extravagant spending.
But a Labour Party lawmaker who spoke with The Punch on Thursday, representing Delta Aniocha North and South, Ngozi Okolie, said Abure’s demands were unrealistic, particularly because he had yet to provide them with alternatives to carry out their jobs.
He said, “The SUVs are meant to aid our jobs as lawmakers, particularly as it relates to our oversight functions.
“Yes, he can say that the economy is struggling, but having one official vehicle as federal lawmakers isn’t frivolous; it’s a necessity.”
Okolie berated Nigerians for being too quick to attack lawmakers over things like this, whereas politicians at the state level get more benefits than federal lawmakers.
He said, “Commissioners and House of Assembly members get up to two to three of such cars, whereas National Assembly members are only getting one car each, yet he (Abure) is complaining and telling us not to collect it. Does he have any to give to us?
“Is he going to give us work tools to carry out our jobs, or does he have an alternative for us? Has Abure told the members of his state in Edo not to take the official vehicles given to them?”
The lawmaker argued that it was cheaper to buy those vehicles than hire one every time they needed to go on an oversight.
Speaking in the same vein, the lawmaker representing Igbo Etiti and Uzo-Uwani constituencies in Enugu State, Stainless Nwodo, commended President Bola Tinubu for approving such vehicles for lawmakers.
Nwodo said, “National Assembly members should pray for the president and give him three ‘Gbosas’ for his magnanimity to the lawmakers.
“Nobody in the National Assembly is against the SUV; when the SUV comes, we will collect it and use it to bring more benefits to our constituencies, because, in the real sense, it is for the constituents.
“I don’t want to believe the chairman of the party said so, because did he give us any vehicles to do our jobs?
“Attributing his reason to economic hardship is pure blackmail. In the first instance, the vehicle is for each constituency, not the personal vehicle for the members.
“Also, we need these SUVs to ply the bad roads in our constituencies when we need to visit them and deliver goodies to them. This is why the Speaker and the Senate President decided that SUVs are better suited to visit our constituencies.
“My own stance is that I will take the SUV and use it to deliver dividends to my constituents.”
On his part, the lawmaker representing Edo South Senatorial District, Neda Imasuen, said he would wait for the vehicles to arrive before making a decision.
Senator Imasuen said, “I’d urge you to wait until that happens, then we will revisit the issue. I wouldn’t want to count my chickens before they hatch.
“The Labor Party has eight senators out of 109 and about 35 in the House of Representatives out of 360. So, I don’t know if it would make any difference if the lawmakers in the party took it or not.
“I don’t think telling them to take or reject would make any difference; I don’t think it would affect anything.
“Having said that, we haven’t been given any vehicles yet, but they said they would.”
