Reps’ utility vehicles: Group advocates part-time legislative houses to reduce cost of governance

The Campaign for Constitution and Human Rights (CCHR) has called on civil society groups to join forces to canvass for part-time legislative houses in Nigeria to reduce the cost of governance.

The CCHR Executive Secretary, Prince Toyin Raheem, said in a statement in Lagos on Monday that some lawmakers were in office only to finance their 'ostentatious’ lifestyles.

According to him, such lawmakers are not concerned that many Nigerians live in abject poverty.

“Such lawmakers have nothing to offer the good people of Nigeria and the country.

“They are insensitive to the plights of their constituents and the common man in general.

“It is high time civil society groups and Nigerians as a whole started canvassing for part-time legislative houses that attract only sitting allowances, and the Constitution amended to that effect.

“Nigerians as a whole should prepare to march until this idea of profligacy is stopped,” he said.

Raheem said it was unbelievable that members of the House of Representatives were buying for themselves cars worth N35 million each when some states could not afford to pay N30,000 minimum wage.

He said: “With hunger in the land and poverty ravaging the common man, they should not have conceived such wastage of the people’s money.”

The House of Representatives has resolved to acquire a Toyota Camry 2020 model as a utility car for each of its members.