Premium Times has made a report after close research and findings concerning the extravagant fleet of cars of the Nigerian legislators amidst economic hardship in the country.
At the end of their scrutiny, they found out that the Senate President, in the person of Senator God’swill Akpabio, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abass, use a convoy that costs not less than N4 billion.
Akpabio alone has an 11-vehicle fleet that accompanies him, including two bulletproof 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class models, five Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, two Toyota Hilux, one Hilux branded with the logo of ADBN TV, one ambulance, and three police power bikes, of which some are valued at N100 million each.
Reps Speaker Abass also has an 11-car fleet that accompanies him, including one bulletproof 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class model, four Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, four Hilux, one Lexus SUV, one ambulance, and two police power bikes.
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These two legislative leaders’ fleets are what Premium Times reports sum to N4 billion, an amount that is ripped from the sweat and discomfort of taxpayers to provide these individuals with enough convenience.
Premium Times also extended their findings to that of their deputies and came out with a total of nine luxurious vehicle fleets that cost more than N3 billion, making a total of N7 billion plus, just for the four legislative heads.
It is worthy of note that these vehicles are not gotten from their salaries or allowances, as that is more than the limits set by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), which stipulates that lawmakers are entitled to an optional car loan, capped at 400 per cent of their annual basic salary.
Which means a senator earning N2.02 million annually is eligible for a car loan of N8.1 million. While a House of Reps member with an annual salary of N1.9 million is eligible for a car loan of N7.9 million.
These are outside the official cars of all members of the 10th National Assembly, Toyota Land Cruiser SUVs and Toyota Prado models, with prices reportedly exceeding ₦100 million per vehicle.
These are costs accumulated for just a few individuals in the country when the majority are living below the poverty line.
With the economic hardship and President Tinubu telling citizens to cut their coats according to size, the outrageous spendings of politicians in the two arms of government and the Judiciary do not reflect the country’s current economic dilemma.
Where is all this money coming from? Is it the continuous loans that are being expended this way?
Recently, the Dangote Group of Industries announced that it paid a whopping amount of N402 billion in taxes to the Nigerian government in 2024 as the highest highest taxpayer. If one should include the amount of various other corporations, businesses, and individuals, the amount the government gets in taxes would be over trillions of Naira.
