Protests erupted in Lagos and Abuja on Monday as youths decried the allocation of Sport Utility Vehicles to members of the National Assembly.

The protesters chanted slogans such as “Fund education not SUVs,” “Pay living wage not SUVs,” “Return the SUVs Now,” and “Fund hospitals, not SUVs.”

They argued that it is insensitive for lawmakers to buy SUVs with public funds while the majority of Nigerians are suffering.

According to The PUNCH, one of the protesters said “Workers are still battling for a living wage as the N33,000 minimum wage is not sustainable but we have people at NASS taking delivery of exotic vehicles with about N160bn. Students are dropping out of school because of costly fees. It’s insensitive. They must return the SUVs and fund education.“

Another protester, Emmanuel Larry, said in Abuja: “This is the right time for Nigerian people to stand up for their rights and say enough is enough. Fuel is now N650 per litre but senators are buying SUVs worth N160m while people are suffering.“

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has also filed a lawsuit in a Federal High Court in Lagos to stop the lawmakers from taking delivery of the SUVs.

Recall that Wuzup Nigeria reported that lawmakers in the House of Representatives had started receiving their SUVs.

Similarly, legislators in the Red Chamber would receive the first batch of the SUVs this week.

The move to purchase SUVs for lawmakers has generated widespread criticism from Nigerians. Many have argued that it is a waste of public funds and that the money could be better spent on addressing more pressing needs, such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure.