N4.2bn Suvs: Senate Must Lead By Example

Source: thewillnigeria.com

BEVERLY HILLS, January 11, (THEWILL) – In the face of dwindling revenues, occasioned by the fall in global crude oil prices, the upper chamber of the National Assembly has come under sharp criticisms, over its proposal to buy customized SUVs for its members. President Muhammadu Buhari, added his voice to these criticisms at a recent media chat, lamenting that the lawmakers were by their action refusing to subject self to the new policy on Treasury Single Account (TSA).

Promising to explore his power to cut the cost, he said it was insensitive that this was coming at a time the economy of the nation was at its lowest ebb. He recounted that the economic state had forced the Presidency to turn down the proposal to spend N400 million on purchase of exotic cars for the President. Beyond that, he wondered why the lawmakers, who already collect transport allowances, should seek to further drain the nation's scarce resources.

However, the Senate, through its spokesperson, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi denied the President's claim, noting that while the Senate was indeed planning to buy cars, the estimate was not anywhere close to the figures making the rounds. There have been conflicting figures about the number of cars and the proposed amount to be spent on them. While the President was quoted to have put the number at 400, others claimed it was 110. But, Abdullai said the amount proposed was not any way near N4.5 billion or N4.7 billion, let alone N47 billion or N50 billion as being alleged. He was however silent on the exact sum to be expended on the procurement.

Instead, he assured that when the time comes, the senate would follow due process. On his part, the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, who promised to carry the people along on the project, debunked the claim being bandied around, stressing that the alleged amount was “outrageous.”

For the Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, who tried to justify the need for the official cars for senators, he said, in an interview, that it was not unexpected for the lawmakers to ask for official cars. He dismissed suggestions that the Senate should have inherited cars used by the previous assembly. He restated that Ministers and Permanent Secretaries have as many as four official vehicles, wondering why the Senators' proposal was generating so much attention.

Notwithstanding, the foregoing has brought to the fore, the need for all arms of government to cut their expenditure and overheads.

THEWILL condemns a situation where government has not demonstrated enough commitment in an import-dependent economy, where an average Nigerian cannot afford used cars. It will really be unfortunate if indeed some of the vehicles used by the seventh senate may have been sold for as low as N3 million. That will amount to the peak of insensitivity.

The senators' decline to use personal cars for official duties, as alluded to by the Majority Leader is also selfish, especially as they acknowledged having collected loans to buy these cars.

THEWILL calls on the federal government to beam its search light on every segment of the economy, with a view to drastically cutting down on recurrent expenditure. For instance, during the electioneering campaigns, President Buhari criticized the high number of aircrafts on the fleet of former President Goodluck Jonathan, which was reportedly put at nine in number. He claimed the Jonathan government spent over N12 billion annually on maintenance of the presidential fleet, promising to cut cost by selling them off. However, eight months down the line, there is yet no official clarification that the aircrafts have been sold.

If call on Nigerians to tighten their belts is anything to go by, government must lead the way. There is need to save the huge foreign exchange that accompanies importation. It is in this regard that we urge the lawmakers to consider pleas by local automobile companies that NASS should consider locally-assembled cars over the imported high-end vehicles.

The need to buy locally-assembled vehicles must also be extended to several other items, which can be manufactured locally. This is the only way that the President's resolve to cut cost can be meaningful.

The Presidency must demonstrate its resolve to lead, by drastically cutting down on the alleged N1.7 billion it recently budgeted for feeding in 2016. This is crucial against the backdrop of criticisms that trailed ex-President Jonathan, whose government reportedly spent N1 billion on same issues in 2015.

While acknowledging that the ramp up of revenues and the outstripping of previous thresholds is essential, identifying all avenues of wasteful spending, and cutting expenditures and overheads is inviolable. This much was recently buttressed by the Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, at a public function where she averred that, “Government must deliver more, but spend less.”