President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed his disappointment over the N50 billion proposed by federal law makers to buy cars for themselves despite the financial crisis facing the country at the moment.
The President who expressed this dissatisfaction during a Presidential debate recently, urged Nigerians to take the issue of N50 billion proposed for federal lawmakers’ cars to court, adding that if he could reject N400 million personal cars as a President, he expected the lawmakers to toe the same line.
“For all I know, the first time I turned down a N400million bill for cars for the Presidency. I said the vehicles I am using are good enough for the next 10 years.
“But I understand there is a pool for the protocols when Heads of States and Governments visit they have to buy vehicles. As for the National Assembly, we are having problems with them on the Treasury Single Account (TSA); everybody has to subject himself to the TSA as long as federal money is involved.
“But I turned down about N50 billion for vehicles, I think I have to hold a closed door meeting with them and I think they have not bought them yet.
I think I will explore the possibility of that power. If I can turn down N400million for vehicles in the Presidency, I think we don’t need new cars; we can manage the old ones because of the economy. I can’t see the National Assembly spending more than N40 billion to buy cars on top of transport allowances they collected. I have to revisit this story. They get N100 billion for their allowances.”