…Ndume also provided justification for the ₦160 million Land Cruiser SUVs that each member of the National Assembly was to get.
Ndume made this statement on Thursday, November 3, 2023, while elucidating the problems surrounding the contentious yacht on Arise TV.
The yacht, reportedly valued at ₦5 billion, recently caused a stir in the public after the national assembly’s ₦2.1 trillion supplemental budget details were made public.
“We inquired about the yacht budget, but it was signed for a dollar rate, and the new rate isn’t favorable,” Ndume stated. The budget was estimated to be around ₦435; however, it has already exceeded ₦800.
Furthermore, the Navy made it clear that this is not a new budget. Additionally, the budget was relocated to the student loan by the House of Representatives. The yacht deal has been negotiated, signed, and delivered, but payment has not yet been received.
Ndume further defended the ₦160 million Land Cruiser SUV that each member of the National Assembly had to pay for by pointing out that it’s customary for public servants to own cars in order to perform their oversight duties.
The senator from Borno South explained to the parliamentarians why they did not choose Nigerian-made cars, saying that Nigerian automakers simply assembled car parts.
“We did not select cars built in Nigeria since they assemble their vehicles rather than construct them.
Although Ndume stated, “I prefer Nigerian-made products, Nigerian car companies are just buying the vehicle parts and assembling them here.”
He went on to say that because most Nigerian roads were impassable, the lawmakers opted for SUVs.
