Reps take delivery of 200 Peugeot cars
The House of Representatives said it has taken delivery of over 200 of the 360 Peugeot 508 it ordered from Peugeot Automobile Nigeria Limited (PAN).
House spokesman, Abdulrazak Namdas told Daily Trust in Abuja that the rest of the vehicles would be supplied before the end the year.
Daily Trust had last week reported that there was disquiet in the House over the vehicles, ordered since April last year. Although the initial contract was N10 million for each, it has now been reviewed to N17m per unit, totaling N6.1 billion.
Due to challenges related to fluctuating exchange rates between the naira and the US dollar, there has been delay in the delivery of the vehicles.
As at last week, it was gathered that only about 170 of the vehicles were supplied even as there was no specific date for the supply of the remaining ones.
But Namdas said: “Over 200 have been supplied out of 360, and we are still getting more. Every member will get their car by the end of this year. The issue is that the payment for the vehicle is being done in instalments.
“The House and the company, PAN, have reached an agreement to this arrangement of paying and supplying in instalments.
“Of course not all the members can get their cars at the same time, and we have explained to them (lawmakers) why this cannot be possible,” he said.
Namdas said the major cog in the wheel of the supply was paucity of funds, saying “You know that we have not started the implementation of the 2017 budget fully. You will appreciate the fact that payment for these cars will come from the budget.”