Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, a Chieftain of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), has criticized members of the National Assembly for their plans to purchase 360 Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs), with each car costing up to N160 million. He expressed his view that they are insensitive to the current suffering experienced by many Nigerians.
In a statement released on Friday, Ajadi expressed his surprise, along with many other Nigerians, at the insensitivity of Senators who are meant to represent the people. He believes that they are pretending to be unaware of the hardships faced by a significant number of Nigerians at the moment.
He pointed out that Nigerians are currently enduring significant challenges due to the removal of the subsidy on petroleum products and other harsh economic conditions. He questioned how those representing the people in the National Assembly could be so self-centered and uncaring for the people they are meant to represent.
The statement reads in part: “Many Nigerians are unable to feed themselves. Many are dying daily due to poverty. Many school children are dropping out of school because of the current high inflation rate.”
“It is distressing that our senators and members of the House of Representatives are thinking and acting as if they don’t live in Nigeria. They are behaving as if the plight of Nigerians is not their concern. They are highly insensitive and morally unaware of the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.”
“If they were sensitive, would they be discussing cars costing billions of Naira when the exchange rate of Naira to the dollar is undeniably embarrassing?”
“It is also disheartening that many of our legislators are justifying the purchase of these SUVs at such an exorbitant rate by pointing to the poor state of roads across the country.”
“That cannot be a justification; the poor condition of our roads signifies that they are not performing well in government. We need to ask them, whose responsibility is it to provide good roads if not the Federal Government, of which the Senators are a part.”
“This situation also indicates that our Senators and House of Representatives members hardly visit their constituencies to understand their situation once they are elected. This needs to be corrected. Our national legislators must be close to their constituents and empathize with their challenges, as mandated by our constitution.”
“Just last week, I commended members of the House of Representatives for recognizing the challenges faced by teachers when the Chairman of the Committee on Education recommended an increase in their salaries from primary school to tertiary institutions. That was a positive move, and it’s the kind of action we expect from our lawmakers.”
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