We didn’t buy any vehicle at N298m, Senate screams

The Senate is still trying to extricate itself from the Range Rover Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) said to have been purchased for the upper chamber, but impounded by the Nigeria Customs Service.

The Senate in a statement on Tuesday, signed by Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Publicity said it paid $298 million for the vehicle, and not N298 million.

His statement read, “Our attention has been drawn to the various false and mischievous reports in the media about the price of the vehicle which the Senate was said to have bought as part of its convoy but was later abandoned when it got impounded by the Customs over controversy surrounding import duty payment.

“The correct price of the vehicle when it was imported in 2015 is $298,000 which at the prevailing rate of N165 to a dollar is about N49, 170. The Senate paid N62.5m for the vehicle in November 2015. This is contrary to the mischief by those who decided to turn the $298,000 to N298m as the price of the vehicle. For the avoidance of doubt, the price of that vehicle is N62.5m and not N298m.

“The Senate will appreciate it if all reports relating to the legislative institution, particularly on this vehicle matter, are reported with accuracy and all facts put in proper perspective. We urge journalists to avoid sensationalism.

‘The Senate is a responsible institution and those who believe that when they have issues to explain before it, the next thing to do is to resort to falsehood, blackmail, muck-raking and mud-slinging, should know that they are just overheating the polity and undermining our democratic institution.

“Finally, the Senate wish to reiterate our total commitment to upholding the rule of law and to work for Nigerians, in accordance with our constitution”.

The said vehicle has been causing rumpus within the Senate, as it has been fingered in many quarters, as the reason the legislators are currently in a showdown with the comptroller general of the Customs, Hameed Ali.

During a committee probe into the issue on Monday, Lanre Shittu Motors admitted buying the vehicle from an oil company on behalf of the Senate, and that it was yet to deliver it to the legislative house before it was impounded by the Customs.

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