Former members of the National Assembly on Saturday joined ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo in condemning plans by federal legislators to purchase choice vehicles for themselves, amid the nation’s dwindling resources.
The ex-lawmakers’ reaction follows Obasanjo’s letter to the National Assembly, which generated controversy last week.
Obasanjo had, in the letter, accused the lawmakers of insensitivity, while accusing them of shrouding their financial activities in secrecy, contrary to democratic norms, which require openness and transparency.
He also described plans to buy committee vehicles as a wasteful venture which ought to be jettisoned.
The Joint House Leader of the defunct Peoples Redemption Party during the Second Republic, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, said Obasanjo expressed an opinion held by most Nigerians.
Mohammed said, “Ex-President Obasanjo was expressing an opinion held by a vast majority of Nigerians. The current sets of legislators are showing some form of insolence or a kind of attitude that is not in the interest to the country.
“Because they have won elections does not mean that they own Nigeria; they don’t own Nigeria. It is not like ‘now (that) we are legislators, we can do whatever we like with the people’s money.’ They don’t have that power.”
The former Rep further noted that he saw no reason why what Obasanjo said should be the subject of any controversy. According to Mohammed, there is nothing controversial about it.
The Second Republic lawmaker recalled that during his time in the National Assembly (1979-1983), the “excesses” being displayed by the current set of legislators did not exist.
According to him, legislators were paid an annual salary of N15,000 and were given the option of collecting a car loan, which he said did not exceed N15,000 and was deducted from the beneficiary’s salary over four years.
Mohammed also said, “I didn’t know of any other allowances (except for travel allowance) paid to anyone else. We had legislative aides whose salaries were paid directly to them through a dedicated account of the National Assembly.
“Once you nominated the name of the aide, they would collect his/her bank details and pay directly to him; you didn’t interfere. But nowadays, they (legislators) collect the money and pocket it and claim that they have been paying. They have a case with the staff they employed and the National Assembly management.
“In our time, no one was given a car. We had four — later five — political parties; only leaders of those parties were given cars. Beyond that, I don’t know of any other allowance because I was the parliamentary leader of the Peoples Redemption Party in the National Assembly.”
Senator Mohammed Abba-Aji, Also speaking on the controversy, suggested that copies of the former President’s letter be made available to state and local government legislatures, as well as the judiciary.
Abba-Aji, who was a member of the 5th Senate, explained that, with today’s realities, it would be helpful if the three arms and tiers of government were on the same page on the issue of financial prudence.
The former senator, who also served as Special Adviser (National Assembly Matters) to late President Umaru Yar’Adua, said, “I agree with President Obasanjo that, just as the executive has cut its budget, the legislature and the judiciary should do the same, because we belong to the same country.
“I think Obasanjo’s letter should be extended to the other tiers of government because they spend more than half of all of the nation’s revenue.
“The change that Buhari is championing should get the endorsement of all the arms and tiers of government. We also have a duty as citizens to contribute our quota towards supporting the President to deliver on his mandate.”
Senator Danladi Sankara, who served in the 7th Senate, in his contribution to the debate, said the former President did not speak in a vacuum.
Sankara noted that the National Assembly, which was saddled with the responsibility of serving as a check to the executive, owed Nigerians a duty to not only be transparent but also considerate.
He said, “Obasanjo did not lie in most of the assertions he made in his letter. We cannot play the ostrich because Nigerians know more than some of us give them the credit for.
“How do you explain the issue of people collecting constituency allowances yet they don’t have a functional office? What about those who tamper with the emoluments of their legislative aides and the avoidable scandals some of our colleagues have dragged the reputation of the legislature into?”
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