A former Chairman of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, Nuhu Ribadu
and the outgoing Senate President, David
Mark, on Monday disagreed on the need for
National Assembly to cut its budget in line
with the current economic realities in the
country.

They spoke at a retreat organised for the
Peoples Democratic Party National Assembly
members-elect in Port Harcourt, Rivers state.
Ribadu had stirred up a hornet’s nest by
calling on the lawmakers-elect to make their
monthly salaries public and also cut their
budgets. His call immediately attracted side
talks by the participants which included
governors and the leadership of the PDP.
Obviously aware that his advice was not
being welcomed by majority of the
lawmakers-elect, the former anti-corruption
czar, reminded them that they would be
going to the National Assembly as the
minority.
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He said that Nigerians would not support the
PDP if they (Nigerians) did not know what
was earmarked for the National Assembly and
how much a senator or a House of
Representatives member earns.
Ribadu, who was the PDP’s Adamawa State
governorship candidate for the March 28
election, pointed out that patriotism and
quality contributions by members of the PDP
in the National Assembly would go a long
way in reinventing and preparing the party
for a successful comeback in future elections.
He said, “If Nigerians do not know how much
is earmarked for the National Assembly or
how much money a senator earns, they will
not support you. We must understand the
pulse or the mood of the nation.

“The first step, therefore, is to open up the
National Assembly by ensuring
transparency. Public office is what it is;
public. Also, at this critical time of austerity,
be champions by slashing your own budget.
“My very good friend, Ben Bruce (a senator-
elect) has already spoken about this. There
are many others already saying it. For you
to excel, you must put in extra effort than
your colleagues in other parties.”
He stressed that the PDP lawmakers-elect
must not only be champions of probity and
discipline, they must wage war against
corruption in the system and ensure strict
compliance with appropriation as well as due
process.

Ribadu added, “As legislators, you will be
going to the National Assembly as the
minority. There is a sense of personal loss
no doubt; but there are good opportunities
for all and democratic practice in Nigeria.
“Your patriotism and quality contributions as
members of the National Assembly will go a
long way in reinventing our party and
preparing it for a successful comeback in
subsequent elections.

“You must demonstrate personal will and
commitment towards being above board if
you really want to checkmate others. The first
charge for you is to be champions of probity
in the workings of the National Assembly as
well as the Legislature-Executive relations.”
But Mark, who showed his dissatisfaction
with Ribadu’s charge, wondered why “every
time, people will talk about National
Assembly budget.”
Explaining that the budget of the Assembly
had always been in public domain, the
outgoing President of the Senate argued that
Senators and House of Representatives
members had always made sacrifices in line
with the nation’s economic realities.

“Every time, people will talk about National
Assembly budget; for Heaven’s sake, unless
you would say you have never seen the
national budget, it is a public document. The
National Assembly budget is there with every
other budget,” he stated in an angry tone.
Mark,who added that the National Assembly
members “ were the first to make a cut in
2015 budget,” said that “ people should
appreciate what we are doing and not to
come and give an impression that our budget
is bloated while every other person had made
a cut.”
He stated further, “We are trying our best
more than any ministry today. I can put my
hand on my chest without fear of
contradiction at all and say we made a lot of
sacrifices in our budgeting system.

“Our budget is open; what we earn as
National Assembly members is open. If
anybody wants to receive his salary and
donate it, he is free to do so. He does not
need to consult us. I think we should not
play politics with what is a very serious
issue. Our budget is in the open and
everybody can see it.”
Mark however charged the PDP lawmakers-
elect and other PDP members to always
speak in one voice.
He said, “We must subject our individual
interest for our group interest. In the election
of principal officers of National Assembly, we
must vote in one accord. We must know that
united we stand, divided we fall.
“We must take our destinies in our hands. We
must be ready to provide credible, vibrant,
determined and focused opposition to the
party in power in a manner that would
guarantee development and good
governance.

“In doing so, we must maintain a strong
synergy between our members in the National
Assembly and the National Working
Committee. The PDP is still a brand all
Nigerians know. We just need to reinvent the
wheels and move forward.”
He decried the spate of defections from the
PDP to the All Progressives Congress after
the elections and appealed to those
remaining to be steadfast with the ideology
of the party.
In his keynote address , Deputy Senate
President Ike Ekweremadu maintained that
playing the role of the opposition was not a
death sentence, but a soul searching for the
way out of the predicament.

Ekweremadu stated that the PDP stood a
great chance of regaining power in 2019
should its members put their house in order.
He added that the governors elected on the
platform of the PDP were expected to play a
major role in restoring the party’s fortunes.
Ekweremadu said, “May I also remind you
that you have a big role to play in restoring
the political fortunes of the PDP because PDP
governed-states will now be the major
yardsticks for evaluating our performance in
the next four years.

“I call on you to demonstrate unbeatable and
undisputable capacity for good governance
such as would stand the PDP-governed
states out as models in uncommon
transformation and actualisation of all the
blessings and promises that democracy
holds.”
Earlier, Governors of Rivers State, Nyesom
Wike, Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa; and other
governors, who were elected on the platform
of the PDP gave various strategies on how
the party could regain power at the centre in
2019.

www.punchng.com/news/ribadu-mark-clash-over-national-assembly-budget/

Their allowances is the deal, it should be slashed by 75%. For goodness sake, what then do you need or use salary for when you have covered almost all expenses of your work and life with heavy allowances, allowances that's a several multiple of the salary. We have a long way to go as far as these LEGISLOOTERS maintain status quo.