December 14, 2015 
The Nigerian Senate has responded to a Premium Times exclusive report exposing its plan to illegally spend an estimated N4.7 billion on exotic cars for its President, Bukola Saraki, and 108 other members.
In a statement by its spokesperson, Aliyu Abdullahi, on Sunday, the upper legislative chamber claimed the vehicles being procured were for committee assignments.
“The vehicles are not meant for individual Senators,” Mr. Abdullahi said. “They are purchased for the use of the committees.”
Mr. Abdullahi did not explain the kind of committee work that demands each of our 109 senators to have individual cars.
He also did not say what the Senate plans to do with the 11 cars that would be left after the 120 cars are distributed to Senators.
Committees of the National Assembly are known to travel for oversight duties in buses, and not in individual cars.
Those who should know have told Premium Times that the purchase of the cars in the guise of buying it for committees is a ploy to circumvent the monetisation policy of government which forbids the purchase of official cars for public officials.
Under the policy, no new vehicles should be purchased by any agency of government for use by public officials.
Rather, public officers and political office holders are to receive 250 per cent of their annual basic salary as motor vehicle loan, which translates to N5.07 million for each senator.
Our sources at the National Assembly said the Senators got these loans before also proceeding to acquire these new Toyota Land Cruisers.
The Senate spokesperson also said the cars in Mr. Saraki’s convoy are so old that they are begging for replacement.
Yet Premium Times learnt the cars were only supplied shortly before the end of the last legislative session in June.
Mr. Abdullahi did not also explain why 10 cars were being bought for Mr. Saraki when the law only provides for six cars for him.
-Premium Times
Diamond Celebrities 
Criminals that call themselves senators