Nigerian-lawmakers-are-bleeding-the-nation-to-death-with-their-insatiable-greed-and-luxurious-demands
September 7, 2020 | News
NIGERIAN LAWMAKERS ARE BLEEDING THE NATION TO DEATH WITH THEIR INSATIABLE GREED AND LUXURIOUS DEMANDS
It is a pathetic and sad situation to have a ‘small number of our political leaders’ as lawmakers, are swallowing the nation’s Recurrent expenditure to the detriment of Capital expenditure that would provide developmental strides for a population of close to 200 million people in this country. Aside the secretly coveted outrageous salaries, bonuses and fringe benefits yearly enjoyed by members of the National Assembly, compared to that of their counterparts in other parts of the world, I find it appalling that these set of politicians still desire the use of brand new SUVs as their official cars, when they already have one. And for some time now, we have insisted that our nation should no longer be made to satisfy the huge insatiable appetites of these so-called lawmakers because they don’t worth it at all.
Many of us must have seen the viral video on mainstream and social media displaying hundreds of brand-new SUVs reportedly said to be for Nigerian members of the House of Representatives in the National Assembly. Let us recall that around September last year, there were reports that the members of the House of Representatives have perfected plans to spend a whopping 5.550 billion Naira (around $15.3 million) to purchase SUVs for themselves. This attracted a lot of condemnation from the Nigerian public and civil society organizations. Then in their response to the public outcry that greeted their planned expenditure on the said “exotic” cars for members of the National Assembly, members of the House of Representatives in February this year said they deserved to drive jeeps otherwise called Sports Utility Vehicle (SUVs) and not Toyota Camrys.
It will be recalled also that a civil society group, SERAP is threatening legal action against the House and the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila over the matter. According to SERAP, it is outrageous that 469 members of both the Senate and the House will opt for “exotic” vehicle, gulping humongous sum for official use at a time the economy of the country is in dire straits. According to reports, in reacting to the reported impending suit, the Spokesman of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, said that it was against the spirit of moral and natural justice for some sections of the public to isolate the lawmakers for possible “crucifixion”, and leave the Executive and Judiciary free. He said the two arms of government hardly even use the Camrys but SUVs and other cars of choice in the execution of their assignments. The spokesman said the lawmakers, considering the state of the roads which the Executive has refused to fix, should also be given SUVs for their oversight functions. We can see such flimsy excuse being given to justify their greed and selfishness. In other words, they are telling Nigerians that we are the ones that are good to drive our cars/vehicles on bad roads, while they as public servants, deserve to use SUVs on the same bad roads. What a shame!
While we cannot authenticate if the vehicles in the said viral video is meant for the members of the National Assembly, but judging by that number of SUVs of the same make and colours in one place, it is evident that they must have ignored all the public outcry protest against their initial plans, and still went ahead and bought the said SUVs for themselves. One begins to wonder what sort of “oversight functions” that these lawmakers are doing that would warrant that they ‘must’ use SUVs, as against the Camry vehicles they already have? Why spend such an amount of money in these trying times in Nigeria’s economy for such luxurious vehicles? These Nigerian lawmakers are simply a bunch of the most insensitive and selfishly-irresponsible lawmakers ever. These lawmakers are operating with their own budget under National Assembly commission and they feel they owe no one any explanation of what they want to do. They also award contracts to themselves through various fronts as if they are executive arm of government, all in the name of Constituency Projects. This was not the case in the Second Republic under Alhaji Shehu Shagari.
Should these politicians be called lawmakers or lawbreakers? This is because we simply cannot understand why they do some of the things they do. It is as if the only known reason why they are in the National Assembly, is to impoverish the Nigerian masses. These are the kinds of people who made Nigerian politics, as the best place for one to get rich overnight. Sadly, these politicians with questionable characters in Government are being praised by some of the masses/elites in the country.
With such demands and plans by Nigerian lawmakers, one will now understand the reason why Nigerian politics is christened ‘DO OR DIE AFFAIR’. No wonder we have had Senate Presidents who had turned their public post into life affair stuff. No wonder Senatorial and Representative seats have turned ‘hereditarily in nature’ for after the said 2 terms, the seats should be left for friends/loyalist/relatives. No wonder we kept having boxers and wrestlers in National Assembly instead of them representing the nation in several weight titles and championships. No wonder ‘serving’ the people is a must by some hypocrites’ i.e “serving us among themselves”. No wonder the word ‘politician’ is now a profession in our country. No wonder the country is said to go bankrupt and always in huge debt.
On several occasions, we have called on the need for Nigerians to regularly re-appraise and re-examine the integrity, character and personality of those representing their various constituencies in the National Assembly, as well as those at the various State Houses of Assemblies. It is not everybody that puts on good cloths, speaks relatively good English like an orator, and drives good cars or lives in affluence wealth that has the integrity, character and charisma to be a leader. The National Assembly as the Legislative Arm of government can be regarded as the ‘deciding factor’ that enacts laws meant for the progress and development of the country. They are also in the position to ‘checkmate’ the ‘excesses’ arising from the Executive Arm of government. Hence, it is imperative that men/women that will make up the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly should be persons of integrity, high moral uprightness and who are ready to make ‘sacrifices for their people.’ Unfortunately, this has not been the case with the Nigerian National Assembly and its members. Every now and then, they are embedded with one controversy or the other. If it is not allegations of bribery and other corrupt practices of great proportions, it will be dramas of fisticuffs and free-for-all fights or gross misconduct and misappropriation of public funds. Imagine a situation where one lawmaker would have close to 50 to 200 aides (which includes Special Assistants, Advisers etc), and bodyguards combined who usually move with the lawmaker in their convoys wherever he/she goes. When such numbers of ‘unnecessary personnel’ are under the payroll of the lawmaker, how will their emoluments and salaries ever satisfy them?
Some of the State Houses of Assemblies are occupied by morons. They don’t think, and you can’t think for them either. They are practically daft. Many of the lawmakers from the South South at the State level are nothing but morons. It was only the first four years of our democracy (between 1999 to 2003) that we had lawmakers at both the States and National levels, who were reasonable and thoughtful.
Well, enough is enough! Nigerians have had enough of this nonsense from our so-called lawmakers. It is high time every well-meaning Nigerian should rise up, consistently speak out and against this ‘broad day light robbery’ of our national wealth by some selected few who call themselves lawmakers. It is high time they realize that our nation can no longer take care of, cater for their insatiable huge appetites. There is indeed a compelling need to rethink the form and content of the legislature. And it is to be noted that Nigeria national income cannot sustain the gluttony of its lawmakers. A step towards its reform must be backed by the need to reduce legislative reward to merely sitting allowance without a basic salary component and it should be structured to be part-time. As it has been advocated times without number, the country does not need a bicameral legislature. It is a waste of public funds and it should be reorganized or streamlined into just one chamber. The Senegalese example is there for all to emulate. That country went back to a unicameral legislature to save resources for other compelling development goals. Nigeria can do the same here and the people will be the better for it.
All Nigerian politicians of this era in Government, be they at the States and the national levels, are billionaires without concrete evidence of working hard for their wealth. Ask yourself, where did all of these politicians made their money, either through legitimate work or business before joining politics to become so rich? Which companies and businesses do they own to justify their current state of wealth? The only known politicians that I know of, who had worked for their wealth before joining politics, are Abiodun Seyi Mankide, Ben Ayade, and Peter Obi. While there may be very few others in the country, these are the ones that I am sure of. In Delta State as of today, all the politicians who are now considered important in the public eye, made their billions of monies from politics. Where did the present and past Governors of Delta State work or did business in, to earn the billions of Naira/dollars that they flaunt around today? Ask yourself this question. Why are the Delta media personnel and elites running after these politicians? What do they stand to gain from these corrupt politicians other than being given peanuts? Why can't they shame them and tell them off? For me, those that are running after them, are the real problems in our society.
Zik Gbemre.
July 10, 2020.
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
It is a pathetic and sad situation to have a ‘small number of our political leaders’ as lawmakers, are swallowing the nation’s Recurrent expenditure to the detriment of Capital expenditure that would provide developmental strides for a population of close to 200 million people in this country. Aside the secretly coveted outrageous salaries, bonuses and fringe benefits yearly enjoyed by members of the National Assembly, compared to that of their counterparts in other parts of the world, I find it appalling that these set of politicians still desire the use of brand new SUVs as their official cars, when they already have one. And for some time now, we have insisted that our nation should no longer be made to satisfy the huge insatiable appetites of these so-called lawmakers because they don’t worth it at all.
Many of us must have seen the viral video on mainstream and social media displaying hundreds of brand-new SUVs reportedly said to be for Nigerian members of the House of Representatives in the National Assembly. Let us recall that around September last year, there were reports that the members of the House of Representatives have perfected plans to spend a whopping 5.550 billion Naira (around $15.3 million) to purchase SUVs for themselves. This attracted a lot of condemnation from the Nigerian public and civil society organizations. Then in their response to the public outcry that greeted their planned expenditure on the said “exotic” cars for members of the National Assembly, members of the House of Representatives in February this year said they deserved to drive jeeps otherwise called Sports Utility Vehicle (SUVs) and not Toyota Camrys.
It will be recalled also that a civil society group, SERAP is threatening legal action against the House and the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila over the matter. According to SERAP, it is outrageous that 469 members of both the Senate and the House will opt for “exotic” vehicle, gulping humongous sum for official use at a time the economy of the country is in dire straits. According to reports, in reacting to the reported impending suit, the Spokesman of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, said that it was against the spirit of moral and natural justice for some sections of the public to isolate the lawmakers for possible “crucifixion”, and leave the Executive and Judiciary free. He said the two arms of government hardly even use the Camrys but SUVs and other cars of choice in the execution of their assignments. The spokesman said the lawmakers, considering the state of the roads which the Executive has refused to fix, should also be given SUVs for their oversight functions. We can see such flimsy excuse being given to justify their greed and selfishness. In other words, they are telling Nigerians that we are the ones that are good to drive our cars/vehicles on bad roads, while they as public servants, deserve to use SUVs on the same bad roads. What a shame!
While we cannot authenticate if the vehicles in the said viral video is meant for the members of the National Assembly, but judging by that number of SUVs of the same make and colours in one place, it is evident that they must have ignored all the public outcry protest against their initial plans, and still went ahead and bought the said SUVs for themselves. One begins to wonder what sort of “oversight functions” that these lawmakers are doing that would warrant that they ‘must’ use SUVs, as against the Camry vehicles they already have? Why spend such an amount of money in these trying times in Nigeria’s economy for such luxurious vehicles? These Nigerian lawmakers are simply a bunch of the most insensitive and selfishly-irresponsible lawmakers ever. These lawmakers are operating with their own budget under National Assembly commission and they feel they owe no one any explanation of what they want to do. They also award contracts to themselves through various fronts as if they are executive arm of government, all in the name of Constituency Projects. This was not the case in the Second Republic under Alhaji Shehu Shagari.
Should these politicians be called lawmakers or lawbreakers? This is because we simply cannot understand why they do some of the things they do. It is as if the only known reason why they are in the National Assembly, is to impoverish the Nigerian masses. These are the kinds of people who made Nigerian politics, as the best place for one to get rich overnight. Sadly, these politicians with questionable characters in Government are being praised by some of the masses/elites in the country.
With such demands and plans by Nigerian lawmakers, one will now understand the reason why Nigerian politics is christened ‘DO OR DIE AFFAIR’. No wonder we have had Senate Presidents who had turned their public post into life affair stuff. No wonder Senatorial and Representative seats have turned ‘hereditarily in nature’ for after the said 2 terms, the seats should be left for friends/loyalist/relatives. No wonder we kept having boxers and wrestlers in National Assembly instead of them representing the nation in several weight titles and championships. No wonder ‘serving’ the people is a must by some hypocrites’ i.e “serving us among themselves”. No wonder the word ‘politician’ is now a profession in our country. No wonder the country is said to go bankrupt and always in huge debt.
On several occasions, we have called on the need for Nigerians to regularly re-appraise and re-examine the integrity, character and personality of those representing their various constituencies in the National Assembly, as well as those at the various State Houses of Assemblies. It is not everybody that puts on good cloths, speaks relatively good English like an orator, and drives good cars or lives in affluence wealth that has the integrity, character and charisma to be a leader. The National Assembly as the Legislative Arm of government can be regarded as the ‘deciding factor’ that enacts laws meant for the progress and development of the country. They are also in the position to ‘checkmate’ the ‘excesses’ arising from the Executive Arm of government. Hence, it is imperative that men/women that will make up the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly should be persons of integrity, high moral uprightness and who are ready to make ‘sacrifices for their people.’ Unfortunately, this has not been the case with the Nigerian National Assembly and its members. Every now and then, they are embedded with one controversy or the other. If it is not allegations of bribery and other corrupt practices of great proportions, it will be dramas of fisticuffs and free-for-all fights or gross misconduct and misappropriation of public funds. Imagine a situation where one lawmaker would have close to 50 to 200 aides (which includes Special Assistants, Advisers etc), and bodyguards combined who usually move with the lawmaker in their convoys wherever he/she goes. When such numbers of ‘unnecessary personnel’ are under the payroll of the lawmaker, how will their emoluments and salaries ever satisfy them?
Some of the State Houses of Assemblies are occupied by morons. They don’t think, and you can’t think for them either. They are practically daft. Many of the lawmakers from the South South at the State level are nothing but morons. It was only the first four years of our democracy (between 1999 to 2003) that we had lawmakers at both the States and National levels, who were reasonable and thoughtful.
Well, enough is enough! Nigerians have had enough of this nonsense from our so-called lawmakers. It is high time every well-meaning Nigerian should rise up, consistently speak out and against this ‘broad day light robbery’ of our national wealth by some selected few who call themselves lawmakers. It is high time they realize that our nation can no longer take care of, cater for their insatiable huge appetites. There is indeed a compelling need to rethink the form and content of the legislature. And it is to be noted that Nigeria national income cannot sustain the gluttony of its lawmakers. A step towards its reform must be backed by the need to reduce legislative reward to merely sitting allowance without a basic salary component and it should be structured to be part-time. As it has been advocated times without number, the country does not need a bicameral legislature. It is a waste of public funds and it should be reorganized or streamlined into just one chamber. The Senegalese example is there for all to emulate. That country went back to a unicameral legislature to save resources for other compelling development goals. Nigeria can do the same here and the people will be the better for it.
All Nigerian politicians of this era in Government, be they at the States and the national levels, are billionaires without concrete evidence of working hard for their wealth. Ask yourself, where did all of these politicians made their money, either through legitimate work or business before joining politics to become so rich? Which companies and businesses do they own to justify their current state of wealth? The only known politicians that I know of, who had worked for their wealth before joining politics, are Abiodun Seyi Mankide, Ben Ayade, and Peter Obi. While there may be very few others in the country, these are the ones that I am sure of. In Delta State as of today, all the politicians who are now considered important in the public eye, made their billions of monies from politics. Where did the present and past Governors of Delta State work or did business in, to earn the billions of Naira/dollars that they flaunt around today? Ask yourself this question. Why are the Delta media personnel and elites running after these politicians? What do they stand to gain from these corrupt politicians other than being given peanuts? Why can't they shame them and tell them off? For me, those that are running after them, are the real problems in our society.
Zik Gbemre.
July 10, 2020.
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes