January 29, 2016 Eniola Akinkuotu

Prominent Yoruba leader, Senator Femi Okurounmu, has backed former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s claim that members of the National Assembly are greedy and corrupt.

Okurounmu, who represented Ogun-Central senatorial district between 1999 and 2003, said this during a telephone interview with our correspondent on Thursday.

The elder statesman, who had been critical of Obasanjo in the past, said the members of the National Assembly were milking Nigeria dry and killing the nation’s economy.

Obasanjo had said in an open letter to the leadership of the National Assembly that federal legislators allocated to themselves salaries and allowances above the template approved by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission for National Assembly members.

Okurounmu, who was the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on the National Conference of 2014, said the lawmakers knew that everything that Obasanjo said was true.

He said, “I have been saying the same thing for years. For once, Obasanjo and I agree on something. I agree with him completely because he is saying the truth. He knows everything because he has been in the system.”

Okurounmu said the lawmakers steal taxpayers’ money through the controversial constituency allowance.

He explained that during his time at the Senate, there was no such thing as constituency allowance.

Okurounmu said, “The constituency allowance is just a way of getting money. They are all thieves. The constituency allowance was introduced when we were in the Senate and it was not allowance. It was for projects that the Federal Government ministries would prosecute.

“As a senator, you would identify a project in your constituency which you want the government to execute. If it is a road, you would list it under the Federal Ministry of Works. If it is water, you would put it under the Ogun-Oshun River Basin Development Authority and then you begin to lobby for the execution of the projects. It is not that cash is given to you.

“They are not supposed to do so. But today, they get the money and get so many other allowances.”

It will be recalled that a pro-transparency group, BudgIT Nigeria, had invoked the Freedom of Information Act, asking the National Assembly to give a breakdown of its budget but the federal legislative body refused to do so, stating that it could not do so because it could not reveal third party information.

Okurounmu said the National Assembly had succeeded at operating in secrecy.

He, therefore, urged members of the press and the masses to do more in demanding accountability from members of the National Assembly.

http://www.punchng.com/okurounmu-backs-obasanjo-says-senators-reps-are-thieves/

The fire has been kindled.
Let the revolution spring forth.
Only action will delivered this country,
we've heard enough.

the barstard okurumu should keep his dirty mouth short!
he and the incestous obasanjo will soon be dealt with by Sai Baba.

OBJ should have done something about it while he was still in office.

See op post and check the source mtchww

Flexherbal:
OBJ should have done something about it while he was still in office.

you must know that the legislative arm of government is an independent arm, u cannot influence their decision nd it's clear during obj the project were carried out by the appropriate body nd not handing out of raw cash.....

Pheals:
See op post and check the source mtchww

Busted,OP think say na everybody dey read with nose.

Hmmm

Hmmmnm

Flexherbal:
OBJ should have done something about it while he was still in office.

But the senator under OBJ said it wasn't that way during his regime

So with revelation by Senator Okuronmu, Dino Melaye should keep shut his thieving mouth