Spending Spree… Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila Goes Auto Shopping
The seven deadly sins — pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth — are perhaps the most disdained vices known to mankind. But in matters of political gravity, especially when viewed through the lenses of an expectant populace, there is one vice that stands far above them: extravagance. The pursuit of power for the sake of wealth, and wealth for the sake of flaunting; the acquisition of luxury items on a whim for sums that could sustain an average family through three generations.
But whoever wishes to accuse Femi Gbajabiamila, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of this crime would find he is conversant enough with the law to mount a vehement defence of himself. Based on his pedigree in the business and political terrains before he reached his current zenith, he is certainly loaded enough to splurge on whatever he wishes without necessarily inviting the opprobrium of those who prefer he squarely faces the critical task of resuscitating the nation’s dwindling fortunes through vigorous legislative performances.
Close sources have it that the speaker who represents Surulere I Constituency in the lower chamber has loosed the purse strings and upended a mountain of money in exchange for the most eye-catching collection of cars at the premises of upscale automobile dealer Skymit Motors. A man whose sense of taste ascends beyond the average into realms where only true connoisseurs dwell, Gbajabiamila’s choice of autos couldn’t be just any random model driven by the average person who calls themselves a millionaire courtesy of a mere few million quids in their account.
According to those in the know, the speaker shelled out over three hundred million Naira for his new fleet of luxury wonders on wheels. They allegedly include a bulletproof S-Class Mercedes Benz, and Toyota Land cruiser. Naturally, the figures being bandied about have raised more than a few eyebrows with not a few wondering whether he’d already succumbed to the temptation to dip his hands into forbidden places.
Perhaps his supporters need not be unduly worried on that score. Femi has demonstrated time and time again that he has the wherewithal to acquire the best of anything without caring whose ox is gored. Recall that during the occasion of his wife Salamatu’s 50th birthday bash last year, the fifth-term legislator surprised her with the gift of a glittering white G-Wagon valued at around 100 million.