Reps Members Reject Official Cars, Demand For Money

About 160 members of the House of Reps have rejected its leadership’s offer to provide them with what they call official cars. The members say they want cash instead.

According to Daily Sun, the Green Chamber is spending about N6.1b on the procurement of 360 units Peugeot 508 for members, at a unit price of N17 million.

The cars have been coming in trickles, since December 2015, when plan to procure them was agreed.

As at August 2017, about 200 units had been procured and distributed to members.

But, a source told Daily Sun yesterday, that some members who were yet to get their vehicles are now mounting pressure on the House leadership to give them the monetary value of the cars.

The demand for monetisation of the cars, it was gathered, is against the backdrop of the cash crunch affecting the federal legislature.

Besides, the source said “some of the legislators believe there is no need for the cars as they have spent more than half of their tenure.”

A member, who declined to be named, confirmed the development, and noted that “majority of those yet to get their official cars prefer to be given cash, in lieu of the cars.”

He, however, added that the legislators are demanding monetisation of the cars, because “they do’t like Peugeot 508, and not for any other reason.”

culled from Olu famous Mr Olumide's Blog