An Enugu-based pressure group, the Better Enugu Youths Assembly (BEYA) has utterly condemned the irrationality in Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s procurement of Prado SUVs (jeeps) for the twenty-four members of the Enugu House of Assembly and other political office holders.
The group said “the move painfully indicates that the present administration lacks prudent economic management.”
Noting that the ‘Jeeps bazaar’ is wasteful and impoverishes the ordinary Enugu citizen, the group in a statement signed on Wednesday by its President, Mr. Nnamdi K. Ugwuanyi, described it as a classic case of robbing Peter to pay Paul and wondered whether it is not the Governor’s own mischievous means of turning the state legislature into a rubber stamp.
The statement reads in part, “It is the height of insensitivity, neglect and ingratitude for Governor Ugwuanyi, who rode to power on the crest of inexplicable goodwill freely bestowed on him by the Enugu masses, to venture into this unwarranted dolling out of SUVs each of which is reported to have gulped a whooping N11.5 million of Enugu taxpayers’ money.
“We are stupefied by how the Governor thinks it wise to embark on this white elephant and unfathomable handing out of exotic cars to the political class at this point of economic recession occasioned by dwindling revenue accrual to Enugu State, very much acknowledged by the Governor, who was recently quoted to have likened the state to a person suffering from kwashiorkor.
“For a Governor who not too long ago announced that his government had the misfortune of inheriting a whooping debt of N32.27 billion in unpaid salaries, pensions and gratuities to civil servants, what is the sense in investing huge resources into the procurement of SUVs which is to be given out to public office holders?” BEYA asked.
The group, while dismissing as baseless explanations given by the state Commissioner of Information, Dr. Godwin Udeuhele that the vehicles were not freely given to the politicians but would become government’s property upon the completion of the beneficiary’s tenure, said, “We all know that it is not in the nature of Nigerian politician to use vehicles bequeathed to them by their predecessors; they will always ask to be given brand new ones.
“In view of the present economic realities, even a no-brainer knows it would have made more sense for Governor Ugwuanyi to adopt the model used by his immediate predecessor, Barr Sullivan Chime, who gave out less cheaper cars to royal fathers, counselors etc. on a hire-purchase basis.
“We want to categorically call on the Governor to strongly resist the temptation of pandering to the wishes of the gluttonous Enugu political class who are infinitesimal compared to the multitudes who braved the elements to vote him in as Governor. We advise him to rather endear himself to the masses by centering his policies and programmes on them.
“We also condemn the state lawmakers and the benefitting others for accepting this Greek gift in flagrant disregard for how the resources spent on procuring the SUVs would have benefitted the entire state and its people if better invested. Why can’t they follow in the footsteps of President Muhammadu Buhari who upon assumption of office rejected Federal Government’s decision to purchase new official cars for him, opting to use the ones he inherited from Jonathan?
“Our political office holders must always remember that as representatives of the people, they carry the burden of placing public interest over and above selfish interest,” the group added.
BEYA equally lashed at the opposition parties in the state “for keeping mute in the face of this reckless abuse of the state’s lean resources and challenged them to live up to the responsibility of offering well thought-out and objective criticism of unpopular policies of the Hon. Ugwuanyi-led government. It ended by warning that Enugu State must be rid of the toga of being a one-party state.”
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