Senators’ brazen show of greed

The hard-heartedness, insensitivity and self-centeredness of Nigeria’s federal lawmakers once again made news headlines when Senator ShehuSani (APC, Kaduna) recently revealed the monthly salary and allowances collected by senators. In an interview granted to The News, Senator ShehuSani disclosed that while each senator is paid a monthly salary of N750, 000; every senator also receives N13.5 million monthly as running costs. Nothing in the past one and half decades of unbroken democracy in Nigeria furiously pitched the public against members of the National Assembly as the outrageous emoluments they excessively draw from pubic treasury. 

Senator ShehuSani said “The National Assembly is one of the most non-transparent organs of government. It pricked my conscience and I decided to burst the bubble and open the National Assembly to scrutiny”. In his detest for outrageous allowances paid to lawmakers, Senator Sani said “I would love a situation where we do away with running costs, constituency projects and leave senators and members of the House of Representatives with salaries”. 

Confirming the revelations made by Senator ShehuSani, the Senate through its spokesperson and Chairman of Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator AliyuSabiAbdullahi, stated in what sounded more like a defense that there was nothing new about what Senator Sani revealed. He also dismissed the insinuation that the Senate was unhappy with Senator Sani for revealing theirremunerations.Truly, the Senate had no option but to tolerate Senator Sani and endure the consequences because the cat had already been let out of the bag. Any attempt by Senator Sani’s colleagues to sanction him as it has been characteristic of them would absolutely earn the entire body of lawmakers the common wrath of Nigerians.

The National Assembly in Nigeria is known for its vindictive nature against anyone including its members who unilaterally brings to public knowledge information it considers inimical to the collective but selfish interest of senators and members of the House of Reps. For example, Representative AbdulmuninJbrin(APC, Kano) was removed as Chairman of House Committee on Appropriation and suspended for one legislative year (180 days) for exposing principal officers of the House including the Speaker involved in the scandalous padding of the 2016 budget. Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno) was removed as Senate Majority Leader and suspended for six months over what the Senate described as “bringing Senator Dino Melaye, his colleague, and the institution of the Senate to unbearable disrepute”.

Many Nigerians lauded the courage of Senator ShehuSani to announce what has for long remained discreet. Human Rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, commended Senator Sani for “blowing the whistle on a matter of crucial national importance”. Reacting to the disclosure, Chairman of Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) Professor ItseSagay said Senator Sani has vindicated him on his criticism of lawmakers over jumbo emoluments.

While the N13.5 million running costs revealed by Senator ShehuSani is the first time a serving lawmaker would disclose the salary and allowances of senators, it isn’t the first time that federal lawmakers would be faulted for receiving obnoxious allowances. The Emir of Kano MuhammaduSanusi II while serving as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) once criticized and condemned the lawmakers forexclusively devouring  a quarter of the nation’s annul budget. Angered by the then CBN Governor’s revelation, the Senate directed MalamSanusi to appear before it; and threatened to order for his sack if he failed to apologize. 

MalamSanusi, the dogged CBN governor, appeared before the Senate as directed and credibly defended his claims. When he was pressured to apologize, MalamSanusiaffirmed to the Senate and said, “By my upbringing, I have the training to apologize for a wrong committed. But in this case, I am not convinced that I have done any wrong”. This was how Sanusi, without tendering any apology and out of an uncommon personification of integrity as a public office holder, survived the venomous threats of the Senate.

The allocation and collection of N13.5 million monthly by every senator as running costs in a country where many states cannot pay the monthly minimum wage of N18, 000 to workers illustrates a brazen show of greed by Nigeria’s federal lawmakers.As they receive N13.5million monthly to incur inexcusable expenditures,thousands of pensioners in most states of the federationare owed gratuities and several months of unpaid pension. If Senator Sani were right in his claim that the N13.5 million running cost does not include allowances for car maintenance, wardrobe, housing and furniture, it thus becomes immoral (given the realities of the country’s economy) for a senator to receive such a huge sum as monthly running cost.

A Senate that is sensitive to the plight of other Nigeriansshould be prudent enough to reject the payment of N13.5million as running cost even if it were forced on it. The fact that the collection of this outrageous allowance had remained undisclosed over timelends credence to the general belief by the public that this discreet action of the Senate is a deliberate strategy to loot public treasury and to further impoverish other Nigerians who are critically bedeviled with deprivation, unemployment, hardship, disease and hunger.

In spite of the huge cost of governance orchestrated by the payment of excessive allowances to lawmakers, they have failed more than they succeeded in their duties as elected representatives of Nigerians.For instance, where is the 2018 budget?President Buhari presented the 2018 budget proposal one month earlier than those of 2016 and 2017. But more than four months afterit was presented by President MuhammaduBuhari on November 7, 2017; there is still no date for its passage. 

From all indications, it is obvious that many including those who have little or nothing to offer are attracted by the payment of these huge and disproportionate allowancesto want,at all cost, to become senators or members of the House of Reps. For instance but regrettably, lawmakers currently representing Niger South in the National Assembly are typical examples of bench-warmers and spectators at both chambers. In order to rationalize and sanitize the quality of representation at the National Assembly, it is imperative to consider making representation at this level of governancea part-time affair. This is with a view to reducing cost of governance. Such will also dissuade political office seekers from resorting to a do-or-die brand of politics. May Allah (SWT) guide our lawmakers to serve and protect the interest of Nigerians whom they consistentlyclaim to represent, amin.