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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The Senate has explained reasons for the planned purchase of sports utility vehicles (SUVs) for members of the upper legislative chamber despite the economic hardship in the country.
The National Assembly has come under fire over the proposed purchase of expensive vehicles for the lawmakers.
Since the removal of the petrol subsidy by the Federal Government on May 29, the cost of living in the country has gone up.
But speaking with reporters in Abuja on Tuesday, chairman of the senate committee on services, Sen Sunday Karimi, said the lawmakers want vehicles that would last for the next four years.
“It was based on a comparative analysis of the cost of technical issues and durability on Nigerian roads. We want something that we can maintain for another four years.
“And the issue of buying vehicles for the National Assembly, you know it is a recurring issue, it occurs every assembly, it will always come up,” Karimi said.
The purchase of the SUVs is for the 469 members of the National Assembly. The Senate has 109 members, while the House of Representatives has 360 members.
Details later…….