Unchecked double pay for politicians hindering dev’t – Rafsanjani

The Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Head of Transparency International Nigeria, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, has lamented double benefits accruing to political office holders in the country. 

Reacting to the election of two serving senators, Abdullahi Adamu and Abubakar Kyari, national chairman and deputy national chairman (North) of the APC respectively, Rafsanjani said, it is surprising that public office holders despite alarming recurrent expenditures with the resultant high cost of governance are still indulging in “unresolved or unchecked double payments to some political office holders and retired but still holding office in a new capacity.”

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The CISLAC director told Daily Trust that “despite numerous jumbo salaries, allowances, benefits and public paid expenses enjoyed by the former governors, their deputies, former speakers and their deputies who are currently serving as senators, ministers and in other political capacities, they ceaselessly receive double pay accrued from previously held political offices and current ones. 

“An instance is the recent case of Abdullahi Adamu, who was a governor of Nasarawa State, sitting senator and now the new National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as well as his Deputy, Abubakar Kyari, also a sitting senator,” he said.

He said the development constitutes major sabotage to effective and efficient governance, hence exacerbating electoral violence and discrediting the electoral process. 

“Nigeria should learn from other efficient democracies, where public office holders are disallowed from enjoying further benefits after their tenures,” he said.

He also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to take drastic steps and reduce the growing cost of governance in the country to allow adequate resource allocation to finance critical sectors and eradicate poverty at all levels.