It is clear and beyond doubts that even if the country’s economy were in good shape, the House of Representatives members do not deserve those cars. They did not need to order those cars that they are now taking delivery of.
They do not deserve them. Already, the monetisation exercise had been done and each of them has had a car monetised for him or her. The money has been paid to them. Therefore, it is waste of resources that despite the monetisation, they still went ahead and placed an order for those cars.
It is a mismanagement of public funds. That is even if the economy was in good shape, not to talk of now that the economy has worsened.
Therefore, if against the backdrop of the national economic challenges, the House of Representatives members did what they did, it shows that they are insensitive. It shows that politics these days has become a venture to feather their nests. They are no longer interested in service to the people. They are not concerned about whether their policies are favourable to the masses or not.
The unfortunate thing is that our people are so docile. We like to complain and then keep quiet. In spite of all the complaints, the legislators kept on with their acts of impunity and the people have done nothing.
Democracy means that the people should react spontaneously against these legislators by staging a protest to the House. The people should protest and show their displeasure to the National Assembly over the wasteful spending by our lawmakers.
If the lawmakers know that the people will react, they will not bring out such a plan. However, they know that our people will only grumble for some time and keep quiet. This is the unfortunate situation that we have in our country. •Femi Okurounmu (A former representative of Ogun-Central senatorial district)
I believe it is very wrong at this point in our economy for members of the House of Representatives to embark on such flamboyant venture. You will recall that during the time of Olusegun Obasanjo as a military head of state, he decided that government officials should use Peugeot 504 cars. Also during Lateef Jakande’s administration as Lagos State governor, he decided to live in his house, and refused to change his cars. In our days, we have leaders who are flamboyant and have less regard for the needs of the people.
Last week, I was with a delegation to the Sultan of Sokoto State where it was said that some state governors could not pay the salaries of their workers and pensions. But they can afford to build new airports. What is the benefit of an airport to people who cannot even feed daily?
That is the extent of sufferings in the country and now, our members of the House of Representatives believe it is high time they bought exotic cars worth N3.6bn.
Their action shows they do not mean well for the commoners of this country. • Idowu Adelakun (Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress, Lagos State)
I do not think it is fair at a time like this for our representatives to bring up this profligacy. Well, we all know what is going on economically in the country. We cannot say the country has surplus money; oil prices have dropped, and there is dollar scarcity and the House of Representatives members are ordering for exotic cars.
The country is in need. Our schools are in a shambles. Our hospitals are in a shambles. Our investments are in a shambles. We need money to build infrastructure. We need to rebuild our police force and make it one of the best in Africa. I can go on and on with the needs of the country that require money.
We need to make Nigeria a destination for investors. At this same time, our representatives are thinking of spending this huge money on cars. This is a time when some Nigerian parents cannot afford to pay the school fees of their children.
This act by our representatives is despicable and unbelievable. It is uncalled for. This is not about party. The representatives have been listening to Nigerians and they see what is happening. What do these legislators have in their various constituencies in terms of infrastructure? Are they not feeling the hardship of Nigerians?
I have continued to say it that we have some wrong people in the National Assembly. This is their first election and they are there to make money. You cannot equate what is happening to our people with what the legislators are bothered about.
This wastage could be excused if it was in the days of oil boom. The sad thing is that no member of the House of Reps has raised the alarm or rejected the vehicle. That shows you that all the legislators are in consonance with this wastage.
That money can repair two or three roads in the country. It can build hospitals and create jobs for our youths. • Joe Igbokwe (Publicity Secretary, All Progressives Congress, Lagos State)
Such public spending is not the right thing to do at this period of economic recession. The country is undergoing some level of economic setback, and there should be no wastage at all. We are supposed to conserve our resources. Our lawmakers are supposed to be good examples to the country.
I am not saying that members of the House of Representatives should not buy vehicles for themselves. But such huge amount is uncalled for.
There should be a rethink on that. People have been talking about looking inwards.
Do we not have cars of lesser prices, which are reasonable in terms of public expenditure?
It is not improper, if people register their grievances through protests.
However, we must inform the House of Representatives first by word of mouth, before people go on physical demonstration like protests.
The media also has a role to play in this awareness. The House of Representatives must be made to realise that the country is not happy with such decision. If that fails, then the people can embark on a protest march. • Solomon Akinboye (Professor of Political Science, University of Lagos)
I think it is very wrong for the House of Representatives members to take delivery of these exotic cars. The country is suffering. The people are suffering. The lawmakers were elected to defend the rights of the people. But some members of the House of Reps are selfish and it is clear that they only want to amass wealth.
As soon as many of them got into government, they forget about the welfare of the people. It is very bad in deed. I think we should have in this country, a mechanism to check this type of waste. We have civil rights organisations in the country that can lead the people to protest to the National Assembly in the bid to curb this excess. In other climes, people lead to serve and not to embezzle. We must enforce the same in our country. •Abubakar Tsav (A former Commissioner of Police)
The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria considers the delivery of 28 units of the Peugeot 508 series ordered by members of the House of Representatives in the midst of the economic downturn in the country as a misplaced priority.
The congress sees the ostentatious life of lawmakers and most politicians as the bane of the nation’s development.
Our system only favours the politicians and the wealthy more at the expense of the impoverished masses. The leaders tell us to pray for the country while they revel in Abuja displaying their exotic cars. They collect constituency allowance but they do nothing for their constituencies and nobody questions them. This is not the way to go.
Come to think of it. The retirees are dying in droves without collecting their pensions, whereas billions of naira are paid to the lawmakers. They buy whatever they want; their children attend schools abroad; they live in Government Reservation Areas and enjoy all privileges. But more than 50 per cent of the population have no gainful employment. Nobody cares about that.
I am calling on the Federal Government to take up the issue as a challenge if it is really serious in its anti-corruption crusade.
The same government should as a matter of urgency come up with a living wage for workers. •Bobboi Kaigama (President, Trade Union Congress)
Compiled by Olaleye Aluko
Punch
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