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By Daniel Adaji
The Nigerian State House spent at least N7.67bn on luxury vehicles in 2024, according to data obtained from BudgIT’s accountability platform, GovSpend, on Thursday. The expenditures, made across various months, covered the procurement of high-end SUVs and sedans for official use.
Among the significant expenditures was a N3.43bn payment to Laralek Ultimate Ltd on August 18, 2024, for the supply of 16 Toyota Prado V6 vehicles to the State House in Abuja. The procurement was approved on April 29, 2024, under reference SH/PROC/2024/03/20.
Similarly, on September 9, 2024, N1.75bn was paid to Mujaf Automobile Nig. Ltd for the supply of 10 Toyota Camry V4 (2023 models) to the State House. The procurement was approved on April 9, 2024, under reference SH/PROC/2024/03/08.
Another N1.9bn was disbursed on May 21, 2024, under the State House Headquarters Transit Account for the supply of vehicles through Laralek Ultimate Ltd. Additionally, N200.58m was spent on tyres for bulletproof vehicles, while N93.7m was used to procure vehicles for the National Centre for the Coordination of Early Warning and Response Mechanism.
On May 31, 2024, another N200m was spent on the purchase of SUVs, further reinforcing the high expenditure on official vehicles.
In addition to the vehicle purchases, the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President authorized a N40m payment on February 22, 2024, for the hiring of an aircraft. The aircraft was used to convey President Bola Tinubu and his team to Lagos for the book launch of former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola.
Further expenditures include N63.8m spent on operational vehicles for the Office of the Chief Security Officer to the President on May 21, 2024.
These expenditures come at a time when Nigerians are grappling with economic hardships, raising concerns about the government’s spending priorities.