Federal Government Orders 53 Customized Gold iPhones Worth £50,000 Each

The Chief Executive Officer, Gold and Co., United Kingdom, Amjad Ali, has told a United Kingdom newspaper, The Independent, that the Federal Government of Nigeria has ordered 53 gold-plated iPhone 5S mobile handsets  from his firm to celebrate the nation’s 53rd Independence anniversary on October 1, 2013.

The gold iphones are said to worth £2.65m (about N682m).

Like seriously? “53 gold iphones to mark the country‘s 53rd year of independence? Coming all the way from Britain next month,” 

The CEO Gold & Co. pointed out that the order from the Nigerian government includes the “engravement of the phones with Nigeria's coat of arms, a shield and two horses”.

For the record, a gold-plated device costs in between £3000 and £50,000 (N750, 000 to 12.5 million).

If this is true, then it is very disheartening. Who would have thought that the Federal Government would do this amidst the ongoing ASUU strike which is "supposedly because of lack of funds". It shows how unserious our government is.

When quizzed about it, the Federal Government had claimed to be broke and offered a meagre amount as compared to the amount being owed ASUU. Even the minister of finance had said that the FG did not have enough money to run the country and that Nigeria might have to borrow money to meet up with demands. 

I therefore cannot help but wonder if Nigeria has borrowed or intends borrowing money to fund this latest purchase of iphones at N682m. The FG has obviously placed the so-called independence celebration above the Education of the masses. If the FG can purchase mere mobile phones for this amount, what then is the message being passed to the youth?

ASUU yesterday urged the Federal Government to first fulfill its electoral promises to the people before engaging in such an “extravagance.”

I hear the Federal Government has denied placing any such order though.