FG purchases 200 cars for African first ladies at N13.5m

The ongoing African First Ladies Summit may had cost Nigeria government the host nation billions of naira as the Federal Government began delivery of 200 exotics cars ordered for use by guests.
First Lady Patience Jonathan is the convener of the event, with the theme “The African Woman: A Voice for Peace,” which is expected to be attended by spouses of African leaders.
Accordin to sources, the cars comprise 80 units of BMW X3 and X5 series with a market value of N13.5 million each, while the remaining 120 are exotic models of Honda, Jaguar and others.
“Daily Post” gathered that the vehicles were supplied by Coscharis Motors, and 180 units have already been delivered to the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Saturday.
The cars are for use during the 7th African First Ladies for Peace Mission (AFLPM) summit scheduled for 24 to 27 July in Abuja. Already, African first ladies have begun arriving in the country since weekend for the four-day event.
There was conflicting information by last night on whether the cars were bought outright or hired, and no government official was ready to speak with our correspondents on the record for this story.
When contacted, the spokesman for Coscharis Motors, Mr. Ifeanyi Nihe, by telephone on Monday, he said the company had supplied vehicles to the Federal Government but refused to state the number and cost.
“I am not in the position to give out the real value of the transaction,” he said.
When asked which government agency was handling the transaction, Nihe said, “Our company is still talking with some officials of the government. I don’t know whether it is the First Lady’s office or not.”
Nihe also refused to confirm whether the cars were sold or leased out to the government for the event.
Coscharis Motors is the same company that supplied over 3,000 units of BMW series used during the 8th All African Games also known as COJA in 2003.
A source said the transaction for the 200 cars was processed by the office of the Minister of State for Finance.
Source: Dailypost