N60b SUVs
OpenLife Nigeria reports that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi, has lambasted President Bola Tinubu for allocating more funds for the purchase of Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) for about 400 lawmakers than the total amount allocated to the primary healthcare in the 2023 budget.
Obi, who had in his World Press Conference a few days ago announced that he and his political party are now fully in opposition, said that it was a waste of public resources to spend N60 billion on luxurious SUVs for the lawmakers while primary healthcare in the country had collapsed, leading Nigeria to surpassing India in infant mortality.
The former Anambra State governor said that one-third of the amount allocated for the SUVs, with proper negotiation, would have given them to get locally manufactured SUV vehicles from Innoson Motors, PAN or any local auto assembly plant, to help boost Nigeria’s economy and create and retain jobs.
Obi further stated that while he was the governor, the Anambra State Government ordered for two bullet proof SUV vehicles for him but he cancelled the order.
He said, “The recent expenditure of N60 billion for the purchase of SUV vehicles for about 400 legislators is a continuation of the troubling trend in our nation today.
“We have continued to abandon the critical areas of development measurement while expending scarce resources on needless luxury and creating comforts for those elected to serve the people.
“Our primary healthcare, which is the foundation of health, a critical development index measure, has collapsed, leading to our surpassing India, a country 7 times our population, in infant mortality, a very saddening situation.
“To allocate such a huge amount, which is more than what we allocated to our primary health care, is nothing but troubling.
“One third of that amount, with proper negotiation, would have given them locally manufactured SUV vehicles from Innoson Motors, PAN or any local auto assembly plant, to help boost our economy and create and retain jobs.
“Upon my being sworn in as the then Governor of Anambra State, I observed that our State High Court Judges, State Government Permanent Secretaries and newly appointed State Commissioners had no vehicles.
“The Anambra State Government had then ordered for two bullet proof SUV vehicles for my use. I cancelled the order and used the same money to negotiate a concessionary pricing with Peugeot Automobiles to supply us with Sixty 406 vehicles which were enough for all the cabinet members including myself and my deputy governor.
“We used the vehicles for our first tenure and were able to commence the work of doing more in the areas of health, education and lifting people out of poverty.
“Nobody would contemplate this kind of expenditure under my administration. I urge all involved to depart from this path of wastage of public resources.
“A more prudent and transparent Nigeria is possible.”
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