Reps’ N6.1bn Exotic Cars Malfunction 90 Days After Delivery
John Ameh , Abuja
Some of the exotic cars delivered to the members of the House of Representatives have developed faults barely 90 days after the automobiles arrived in Abuja , The PUNCH gathered on Sunday.
The majority of the lawmakers , 240 out of the total of 360 , took delivery of the Peugeot 508 cars between June and July this year .
The cars, which lawmakers prefer to call “committee or utility vehicles , ” belong to the National Assembly, though the members keep them in their homes.
Each unit costs N 17m , which amounts to a total of N 6 . 1 bn for the 360 units for the 360 members .
House spokesman , Mr. Abdulrazak Namdas , confirmed the unit cost of the cars to The PUNCH last July .
“ One car is for about N 17m ; yes” , he said .
Contracts for the supplies were handled by the Chairman , Committee on House Services, Mr. Bashir Baballe- Ila, and officials of the National Assembly.
Investigations showed that members started complaining of faults in the cars just weeks after taking delivery.
“ There have been faulty electrical issues and mechanical challenges .
“ Some members have complained that they have experienced breakdown as a result of the faults, ” a National Assembly official said .
One lawmaker was reported to have abandoned his vehicle at the National Assembly Complex , Annex I, two weeks ago .
It was also gathered another member from one of the South -West states called Baballe- Ila last week and threatened to return the car for a replacement.
The Chairman of a key committee, who is from Kano State, said , “ What the members are saying about the cars is true.
“ There have been complaints concerning the cars for months and members are calm because the leadership , particularly the Speaker (Yakubu Dogara) , pleaded for patience . ”
Findings by The PUNCH indicated that some lawmakers were beginning to suspect that the cars were fairly used before the committee bought them from the original owners .
It was learnt that the Baballe-Ila committee had come under pressure in May after members began to protest that two years into their tenure ; they had yet to receive their utility cars.
This reportedly happened when a Kaduna - based main supplier , initially contracted to supply the vehicles , couldn ’ t cope with the “large number of 360 units at a go . ”
The supplier was said to have phased the delivery. But , this means that by December ,
many members will still be without the cars.
It was gathered that in a bid to address the supply delay, the House Services Committee chairman engaged sub -contractors to deliver more cars.
“ Unfortunately , that approach too has not taken us far because as of October 27 , many members still didn’ t get their cars.
“ The sub - contracting might have also led to these complaints of faulty cars. The sources of some of the cars are now being called to question , ” one member said .
Our correspondent made attempts to get Baballe- Ila to comment on the matter but he failed to respond . Also , text messages sent to him were not replied to .
But , when asked for his reaction on Sunday, the Chairman , House Committee on Media and Public Affairs , Abdulrazak Namdas , informed The PUNCH that any faulty vehicle would be returned to the supplier because they came with warranty .
He said , “ The faulty cars reported by any member will be returned.
“ I am sure the chairman of the committee will handle the issue amicably . He will return the cars.
“ You know there must be a warranty . And these are mechanical tools anyway ; the chances that one or two cars in a large supply will have issues are not ruled out. The warranty will solve the problem . ”
Asked the number of members that had received their vehicles so far , Namdas said , “ about two - thirds (240 ) have their cars. ”
This implies that up to 120 lawmakers still have no cars for oversight and other duty tours .
“ We can only plead for their patience . Like I have said before , the vehicles come in batches .
“ I am sure that in another few days, 50 more units may arrive, ” he added.
Some of the exotic cars delivered to the members of the House of Representatives have developed faults barely 90 days after the automobiles arrived in Abuja , The PUNCH gathered on Sunday.
The majority of the lawmakers , 240 out of the total of 360 , took delivery of the Peugeot 508 cars between June and July this year .
The cars, which lawmakers prefer to call “committee or utility vehicles , ” belong to the National Assembly, though the members keep them in their homes.
Each unit costs N 17m , which amounts to a total of N 6 . 1 bn for the 360 units for the 360 members .
House spokesman , Mr. Abdulrazak Namdas , confirmed the unit cost of the cars to The PUNCH last July .
“ One car is for about N 17m ; yes” , he said .
Contracts for the supplies were handled by the Chairman , Committee on House Services, Mr. Bashir Baballe- Ila, and officials of the National Assembly.
Investigations showed that members started complaining of faults in the cars just weeks after taking delivery.
“ There have been faulty electrical issues and mechanical challenges .
“ Some members have complained that they have experienced breakdown as a result of the faults, ” a National Assembly official said .
One lawmaker was reported to have abandoned his vehicle at the National Assembly Complex , Annex I, two weeks ago .
It was also gathered another member from one of the South -West states called Baballe- Ila last week and threatened to return the car for a replacement.
The Chairman of a key committee, who is from Kano State, said , “ What the members are saying about the cars is true.
“ There have been complaints concerning the cars for months and members are calm because the leadership , particularly the Speaker (Yakubu Dogara) , pleaded for patience . ”
Findings by The PUNCH indicated that some lawmakers were beginning to suspect that the cars were fairly used before the committee bought them from the original owners .
It was learnt that the Baballe-Ila committee had come under pressure in May after members began to protest that two years into their tenure ; they had yet to receive their utility cars.
This reportedly happened when a Kaduna - based main supplier , initially contracted to supply the vehicles , couldn ’ t cope with the “large number of 360 units at a go . ”
The supplier was said to have phased the delivery. But , this means that by December ,
many members will still be without the cars.
It was gathered that in a bid to address the supply delay, the House Services Committee chairman engaged sub -contractors to deliver more cars.
“ Unfortunately , that approach too has not taken us far because as of October 27 , many members still didn’ t get their cars.
“ The sub - contracting might have also led to these complaints of faulty cars. The sources of some of the cars are now being called to question , ” one member said .
Our correspondent made attempts to get Baballe- Ila to comment on the matter but he failed to respond . Also , text messages sent to him were not replied to .
But , when asked for his reaction on Sunday, the Chairman , House Committee on Media and Public Affairs , Abdulrazak Namdas , informed The PUNCH that any faulty vehicle would be returned to the supplier because they came with warranty .
He said , “ The faulty cars reported by any member will be returned.
“ I am sure the chairman of the committee will handle the issue amicably . He will return the cars.
“ You know there must be a warranty . And these are mechanical tools anyway ; the chances that one or two cars in a large supply will have issues are not ruled out. The warranty will solve the problem . ”
Asked the number of members that had received their vehicles so far , Namdas said , “ about two - thirds (240 ) have their cars. ”
This implies that up to 120 lawmakers still have no cars for oversight and other duty tours .
“ We can only plead for their patience . Like I have said before , the vehicles come in batches .
“ I am sure that in another few days, 50 more units may arrive, ” he added.
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