AKIN ROTIMI, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs. has said that the Toyota Prado SUVs worth One Hundred and Thirty Million Naira (N130,000,000.00) expected to be given to each member of the National Assembly are utility operational 2023 model Prado SUVs and are tied to their oversight functions and to be used in the discharge of their duties in the standing committees.
According to him, they are not personal vehicles. He added that the vehicles would remain the property of the National Assembly at the expiration of the tenure of the 10th Assembly in 2027, should the extant assets de-boarding policy of government still be in place.
He said members have the option of making payment for the outstanding value of the vehicles to government coffers before they can claim ownership. Rotimi stated this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja while reacting to the media reports that trailed the controversial SUVs.
In a statement he churned out on the raging issue, Hon Rotimi said: “The House of Representatives is monitoring a trending topic across multiple traditional and online media, concerning the allocation of vehicles to honourable members, and because this issue has understandably generated significant public interest, we believe Nigerians deserve feedback from their elected representatives.
“While many versions of this story carry varying exaggerations, 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 2023 model Prado Jeep 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 (2023 – 2027), the vehicles shall remain the property of the National Assembly. At the expiration of the tenure of the 10th Assembly in 2027, should the extant assets deboarding policy of government still be in place, honourable members may have the option of making payment for the outstanding value of the vehicles to government coffers before they can become theirs, otherwise it remains the property of the National Assembly.
“The public is invited to note that as part of the 10th Assembly’s objective to ensure our integrity and independence, honourable members of the Green Chamber have resolved to maintain a respectable distance from the Executive arm of government, especially in issues relating to logistical aspects of oversight functions, including reaching difficult terrains in the country.
“No matter how remote the location is, as long as there are Nigerian citizens living there, they deserve highly mobile representatives who can see first-hand what they are going through, and ensure government interventions, programmes, and policies are carried out effectively. This can only be possible with functional and reliable off-road vehicles.”
Eighteen-Eleven Media