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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has lambasted President Bola Tinubu for allocating N15.13 billion for the purchase of 39 Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
Atiku said the analysis by Tracka revealing that the government had appropriated N15.13 billion for 39 SUVs, which translates to N387 million per vehicle, raised serious questions.
The former vice president, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said the issue raised a more fundamental question about leadership and accountability.
“Tracka’s analysis shows that N15.13 billion was budgeted for the procurement of 39 SUVs. That translates to an astonishing N387 million per vehicle.
“If those vehicles have already been procured, the government should immediately publish the make, model, year of manufacture, supplier, contract details and the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), popularly known as the chassis number of each of the 39 vehicles. If the procurement is still ongoing, Nigerians deserve to know why, nearly eight months into the fiscal year, such an expensive purchase has not been concluded,” he stated.
Atiku, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), noted that at N387 million per SUV, “Nigerians are entitled to ask whether the government purchased Rolls-Royce Cullinans, Bentley Bentaygas, Lamborghini Urus, Ferrari Purosangues, Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600s, Aston Martin DBXs, Range Rover SUVs, Brabus G-Class SUVs, Cadillac Escalade Vs or Lexus LX 700hs.
“If none of these ultra-luxury vehicles was purchased, then what exactly justifies such an extraordinary price tag?
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“What manner of a president signs a budget with figures like these into law without demanding rigorous scrutiny?
“Was the President asleep at the wheel while the budget was being prepared or did he knowingly approve allocations that now require public explanation? Either possibility should worry every Nigerian.
“A president cannot proudly sign a budget into law and then pretend to have no responsibility when glaring questions arise. The buck stops on his desk.”
He added that the same Tracka analysis identified N947.70 billion for 2,579 empowerment projects, noting that Nigerians equally deserve to know where those projects were located, who the beneficiaries were, how contractors were selected, and how implementation would be monitored.
“This is a government that has consistently preached sacrifice to Nigerians, removing fuel subsidy, increasing electricity tariffs, imposing higher taxes and asking citizens to endure unprecedented hardship. It cannot, in the same breath, expect Nigerians to remain silent over expenditures that raise legitimate questions about value for money.
“The easiest way to silence suspicion is transparency. Publish the procurement documents. Publish the invoices. Publish the suppliers. Publish the chassis numbers. If the figures are genuine, the documents will speak for themselves.
“If they are not, Nigerians deserve to know who turned the procurement of 39 SUVs into a N15.13 billion scandal. Public money belongs to the Nigerian people. Every kobo must be accounted for.”
