Senators, Reps To Leave With 109 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado SUVs, 360 Exotic Cars


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Senators and members of the House of Representatives will go home with the operational vehicles of the National Assembly currently in their possession as the 7th Assembly winds down on Friday. Each of the 109 senators has a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, commonly referred to as ‘jeep’, assigned to them for “operational” purposes like carrying out committee and oversight duties. The story is the same at the House, where each member has a 2011 model Toyota Camry attached to them for operational duties.


Apart from the operational vehicles, principal officers, including the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House, have   additional vehicles assigned to them. The Prado jeeps and Camry are properties of the National Assembly that should have ordinarily been left behind by the departing legislators.
It was gathered on Tuesday that, with the understanding of the management of the legislature, the vehicles have been valued, taking note of the years of depreciation, to allow lawmakers who wish to go home with them to do so by paying 30 per cent of the purchase price. The money is to be deducted from the severance package of the senators and the House members. Findings showed that in line with the arrangement, the Prado jeeps, valued at the market price of about N9m, would be given away to senators for around N2.7m. In the same vein, members of the House will each part with about N1.9m to go home with the Camry, valued at N6.5m.
An official   of the National Assembly management, who confirmed the “deal” in Abuja on Tuesday, said:
“The cars have been used for four years, so this valuation has taken cognisance of the years of depreciation. The vehicles are not taken away free of charge and as a matter of fact, it is optional.
A lawmaker who does not want to go with the vehicle will submit it to the National Assembly and it will be so documented.”
“The deduction will be done from their severance package at source, which makes it easier. It is a practice that has been on over the years.”