Senate President Godswill Akpabio has confirmed that undisclosed amounts of money have been sent to members of the upper legislative chamber to use to enjoy their holidays.
Akpabio made the revelation in a video which went viral on Wednesday morning while addressing his colleagues before the adjournment of a motion moved by one of the senators.
In the viral video, Akpabio said, “In order to enable all of us to enjoy our holidays, a token has been sent to our various accounts by the clerk of the national assembly.”
But when his statement sparked a rowdy moment on the floor of the Senate, he rephrased the statement and said, “I withdraw that statement. “In order to allow you to enjoy your holiday, the senate president has sent prayers to your mailboxes to assist you to go on a safe journey and return.”
This comes amid rising inflation and astronomical rise in prices of food in markets which have subjected Nigerians to deeper poverty, especially since the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu-led government.
Before the President directed the review of palliatives to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians, ‘extremely poor’ Nigerian households were promised N8,000 monthly for six months while the Senate and House of Representatives plan to spend N40 billion on vehicles for members.
At least 107 units of the 2023 Toyota Land Cruiser model and 358 units of the 2023 Toyota Prado model would be procured for federal lawmakers.