Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Mr. Peter Obi has condemned the current expenditure of the sum of sixty (60) billion naira for the purchase of legislators vehicles.
Obi, in a series of tweets on Thursday said the proposed amount for the procurement of SUV vehicles for legislators is concerning and reeks of misplaced priorities.
“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.”
The former Anambra State Governor disclosed that they could have gotten the vehicles from local manufacturers at a cheaper rate, thereby adding value to the economy and creating employment opportunities in the process.
His words: “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.”
He also revealed that the Anambra State Government requested two SUV vehicles for his use when he assumed office as governor but he turned it down.
“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. 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 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.”
He further stated that nobody would contemplate this kind of expenditure under his administration.
Similarly, he urged those involved to depart from this path of wastage of public resources, adding that a more prudent and transparent Nigeria is possible.
