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Senators, House Of Reps Members To Spend N40bn On SUVs
The Senate and House of Representatives will soon expend over N40 billion to purchase vehicles for lawmakers in the Red and Green Chambers of the National Assembly, Saturday Sun has gathered.
No fewer than 107 units of the 2023 model of the Toyota Landcruiser and 358 units of the 2023 model of Toyota Prado would be procured for the use of members of the Senate and the House of Representatives respectively, the newspaper learned.
The planned purchase is different from the official vehicles expected to be purchased for the four presiding officers of the National Assembly. These are the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abass; Deputy President of the Senate, Jibrin Barau; and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu.
According to reports, the Senate Committee on Services saddled with the responsibility of purchasing vehicles for lawmakers, will handle the negotiations and take delivery of them.
Senate President, Akpabio, had, during the week, constituted the Committee on Senate Services, headed by Kogi West senator, Sunday Karimi.
Though the Committee is expected to work with the management of the National Assembly, the purchase is the sole responsibility of the Senate.
A market survey carried out showed that the least amount for a 2023 model of Toyota Land Cruiser is N125 million. For the full option of the same brand, it goes for as high as N135 million.
In 2019, the Senate spent N50 million on each vehicle, when the dollar was exchanged officially for N306. As at the close of business on Thursday, a dollar was exchanged for N770 in both official and parallel markets.
A car dealer who gave a breakdown of the Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), said the 2023 model is the second production year of the current Land Cruiser generation. He said it will come with the updated adaptive variable suspension for quality rides.
“The on-road quality will be made smoother than ever. All the trims will come with four-wheel drive, center locking, terrain camera view, and many other off-road features.
“Features you’ll find in the new model include Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, 10-speaker audio system, 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, 8-way power-adjustable passenger seat, Heated and Ventilated front seats, Quad-zone climate control, Wireless Charging and Head-up display,” the car dealer told our correspondent.
The Senate Committee on Services is also expected to handle the purchase of two bulletproof vehicles for Akpabio and two for his deputy, Barau.
The car dealer put the amount needed to purchase a bulletproof vehicle produced in 2023 at over N300 million. He said the price may go up if the current naira regime doesn’t improve.
It was gathered that some members of the House are of the opinion that since senators are using Toyota Landcruiser, it will not be out of place for House of Representatives members to upgrade to Prado jeeps.
In the 9th Assembly, members of the Green Chamber used Toyota Camry 2019 as their official car.
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