Ali Ndume, the Chief Whip of the Senate, has provided some more clarification on the controversial N5 billion Presidential yacht provided for in the 2023 supplementary budget.
Ndume spoke on the issue on Friday during an interview on Arise Television Morning show.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) senator from Borno South revealed that the deal for the presidential yacht had been signed and delivered, but that it had not been paid for prior to the public uproar.
The senator also mentioned that the Senate had subsequently allocated the necessary payment price to the budget for student loans.
Ndume said, “We queried the amount budgeted for the yacht, but it was signed for a dollar rate, and the new rate isn’t favourable. The budget was predicated for about N435, and now it is over N800.
“The Navy also clarified that it is not a new budget. And even the House of Representatives moved the budget to the Student loan. The deal for the yacht has been agreed, signed, and delivered but not paid for.”
Speaking in regards to N160 million Land Cruiser SUV that each member of the National Assembly will receive, the Chief Whip emphasised that purchasing a car for official business is nothing unusual for government employees.
He insisted that the fluctuating naira to dollar exchange rate had an impact on the car’s pricing as well, adding that lawmakers require the vehicles.
“The reason why we did not choose Nigerian-made cars is because they don’t manufacture their vehicles, but they assemble them.
“I prefer Nigerian-made products, but the Nigerian car companies are only buying the vehicle parts and assembling them here”.
He maintained that the reason for the SUVs is because most Nigerian roads are not motorable, adding that these vehicles are the only ones that could help them carry out their oversight functions.
