Labour Party (LP) has expressed sadness over the plan by the 360 members of the House of Assembly to be gifted with vehicles worth about N160 million each.
The party condemned what it called the level of insensitivity being displayed by the executive and the legislative arms under the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.
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National Chairman of the party, Julius Abure, in a statement on Tuesday, said it is saddening that with deepening poverty among Nigerians, the administration had decided to increase its appetite for a life of opulence to mock hardworking but underprivileged Nigerians.
“How else can any government justify the bloated Federal Executive Council (FEC) of 48 cabinet ministers, with each of them given three luxurious four-wheel drive vehicles on the first day in office, paid for and fueled by taxpayers? This is notwithstanding hundreds of presidential and ministerial aides, as well as numerous aides to the aides, which are being funded by the government.
“These vehicles will be costing Nigerians about N57.6bn and this is happening at a time when the government claims it cannot afford to increase the minimum wage of N30,000 monthly to workers,” Abure said.
He noted that the price of a bag of 50 kg rice has risen to N50,000 while most families could not even afford two square meals a day.
“This same government is still going round the world cap in hand seeking loans, what a shame! As things stand today, inflation is likely to hit 30 per cent by December, 2023, yet all they are concerned about is the comfort of a privileged few who found themselves in public office.
“Why spend so much money on the import of and purchase of vehicles from other nations amidst the scarcity of needed foreign exchange for manufacturing? Why not empower local manufacturers such as Innoson Motors in Anambra and Peugeot Automobiles in Kaduna to save forex and boost our local economy?
“When our Presidential Candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, said we in the Labour Party want to move the economy from consumption to production, this is what we mean – Nigeria first!” he said.
Abure urged the government to retrace its step, in the interest of the nation and give priority to revamping the economy instead of its current obsession with luxury living.
He also called on the LP lawmakers in the 10th Assembly to kick against the move in line with the ideology of the party: social justice and equal opportunity for all.
