‘Why some lawmakers are yet to get official cars’

Chairman, House Committee on Media and Pubic Relations, Mr. Abdulrasak Namdas has explained why some lawmakers have not been given official cars.

The Chairman, House Committee on Media and Pubic Relations, Mr. Abdulrasak Namdas has explained why some lawmakers have not been given official cars.

The lawmaker, who is a member of the House Services Committee, disclosed that the scarcity of funds and logistics challenges, were responsible for the delay.

He spoke in reactions to recent publications that some lawmakers had protested against the selective distribution of cars. Namdas explained that only 200, out of the 360 member-House had so far received their official Peugeot 508 cars, which market value is N17 million.

He promised that the outstanding members would receive their cars by the end of the year. The chairman stressed that female lawmakers and first timers were given priority in the initial distribution to enable them to perform their duties, saying it was not deliberate.

According to him: “Truly, the challenge is that from day one, we didn’t say we were going to take out money and pay for the cars at once. We promised to be paying installmentally as the company supplies us. That was why we initially received 50 cars and subsequently, others came bit by bit.”

He said the clarification became necessary to appease the lawmakers who felt cheated.

“It was not designed to frustrate anybody and it was not done in bad faith. Some of us who are members of the services committee have explained the reason to our colleagues,” he said.