Goodluck Jonathan dissolved the federal cabinet made up of 42 federal ministers today, to create room for a new start, but he has almost immediately been met with an outrageous new challenge from Nigerian senators who are demanding N16 million per new minister. Each of the 109 Senators would have to collect close to that amount for each of the ministers approved for Jonathan whenever he reconstitutes the cabinet –(This mean N16 million times 42 for every Senator to collect).

According to the Nigerian constitution, the Upper House is required to approve of federal ministers before they can be sworn in, and they are usually approved on a "Bow & Go" basis, with the Senators putting in almost no work. Saharareporters sources said the practice of bribing Senators to approve ministers is not new but Jonathan’s peculiar circumstance has led to a higher inflation of the bribe money by 100% from what it used to be under Yar’Adua, who would normally send his cronies in the Ministry of Agriculture, Customs and the NNPC to do the bidding for him.

Apart from the cost to the presidency, each of the ministers awaiting approval also has to bribe the special committees in charge of their portfolio in order to enjoy approval. It costs an average minister N200 million to sail successfully through the senate.

It is after that that they simply require the prospective Minister to appear before them, take a bow, and leave without being troubled with any questions.


Source: http://www.saharareporters.com/real-news/sr-headlines/5551-pay-for-play-senators-want-n16-million-each-for-each-new-minister.html

I would tell each of these Senator personally to go to Hell.

Nigerian senators are felons holding the masses to ransom.Under normal circumstance all of them will be charged for treasonable offenses but weirdly,they are the ones deciding the faith of the innocent suffering masses.

only in Naija!.

what exactly is the money for?

shouldn't EFCC be on their tail by now?

this is the kind of thing we need to be organising protests against!

This is how nigerian money goes,they share it like gang of robbers sharing their loots after a ruthlessly successful robbery operation.From the presidency down to the local government,all of them are in for what they can grab for themselves at the expesce of yet unborn nigerians.

Sahara reporters!

Even a nigerian child knows about the ghana must go bags nigerian politicians and top civil servants uses to cart home their shares of monthly allocations that is suppose to be for the development and general wellbeing of the masses.

Nigerian system is the most backwardly,porously and nastily corrupt system in whole wide world.

Nigerians believe any negative thing they read.

*Shakes head*

netotse:

this is the kind of thing we need to be organising protests against!

No possible my brother, this not official so where is your evidence?

@Topic i find it hard to fully believe this report because it has been blown out of order.

The story is petty compare to the atrocities nigerian leaders commit everyday.

Black_Revo:

No possible my brother, this not official so where is your evidence?

@Topic i find it hard to fully believe this report because it has been blown out of order.

but sebi if we make enough noise they can soft-pedal now. . .

What the politicians are doing in nigeria is a case of the more you look the less you see,people are not seeing the magnitude of their crimes,if they do,they will cry blood for real.

Nigerian leaders are the devils people pray against in the church,they are the evil spirits believers fast ceaselessly against,they are the witches bablawos hunts and they are the infidels the islamist are up against.

They are the embodiments of evil that weighs nigerians down

netotse:

but sebi if we make enough noise they can soft-pedal now. . .

Off course but the ministers first need to refuse bribing them and if they don't want to approve then we have to protest till they do the right thing and for me i would have suggested the Asian style.

For now we could have protested about their salaries and outrageous benefits, my brother these same ministers need to bribe again before their budget proposal will be approved. This Ghana must go is very deep than the eyes can see like my brother redsun has been saying.

False story!

And we are supposed to believe this crap. 200million to be paid by prospective ministers so Dora paid dat before she became minista or osotimehin or odom whom I know personally didn't have his own house in Abj @ d time he bcam minister. Pls spare us fables on dis forum

Haba, This is just an allegation, a wild story, no evidence what so ever, Is sahra reporters becoming a soft sell? I love intee\llectual discourse, this is just trash and very wild allegations

aisha2:

Haba, This is just an allegation, a wild story, no evidence what so ever, Is sahra reporters becoming a soft sell? I love intee\llectual discourse, this is just trash and very wild allegations

well, even though the news sound fishy, but dont forget its Nigeria, and should not be taking by surprise our clueless senators can do more than that and get with it. May God deliver us.

Abu-Maryam:

well, even though the news sound fishy, but dont forget its Nigeria, and should not be taking by surprise our clueless senators can do more than that and get with it. May God deliver us.

I fully understand and will comment when their is evidence. This is trash journalism at its best and i will not indulge in it or promote it. Sahara reporters gives evidence, facts figures and even secret memos, this report is a serious abuse of my intel. As much as the Senators have been found wanting, lets not just promote sentimental stories, the journalist was being lazy in this report, do ur background review seek eveidence before u realease a story for public consumption

didnt El Rufai name some Senators who had asked him to pay money before confirmation? Former minister of education Mr Ogbuji was jailed because legistaltors were demanding bribe b4 money could be approved for his ministry.

Nigeria we hail thee.

adconline:

didnt El Rufai name some Senators who had asked him to pay money before confirmation? Former minister of education Mr Ogbuji was jailed because legistaltors were demanding bribe b4 money could be approved for his ministry.

True that. Ogbuji or whatever actually inflated his budget to accommodate the Senators' kickback.

There's an element of truth in these allegations. Maybe the Senators have become bolder in this dispensation. I remember Babalola Borishade was asked to bring N250 Million for confirmation, back in those days.

You guys always amuse me.

You think GOODLUCK is there for the masses??

He signed out $2BILLION before they made him Acting President!

He signed this week another $1BILLION. Thats $3BILLION in 2weeks.

This news I believe is not strange. He will be settling along to get anything done; we all know how he became acting President.

Wake up to reality! The only credible thing he could do is 'FREE-FAIR ELECTION'

Don't dismiss this story out of hand. I believe there's an element of truth to it. Money has been exchanging hands for confirmation of ministerial appointments, it is not news in Nigeria. Remember Ibrahim Mantu and El Rufai's allegations? That is the least of the sh.t these people get up to!
Maybe they're getting desperate and trying to amass as much as possible. The dire prospect of Nigeria splitting will mean the end of 'free money and ghana bags' for some fat cats!

True that. Ogbuji or whatever actually inflated his budget to accommodate the Senators' kickback.

There's an element of truth in these allegations. Maybe the Senators have become bolder in this dispensation. I remember Babalola Borishade was asked to bring N250 Million for confirmation, back in those days.

El Rufai alleged that  Senator Jonathan Zwingina had demanded for N54 million bribe before he could be confirmed. So N16 million is 70% less of N54 milion, it seems that recession is bitting hard on thiefnators.
Glen Hoddle alleged  that he was asked to pay $350,000  about N54 million by NFF officials as a kickback if he got selected as a head coach.So it's more lucrative to work in NFF than NASS. Go figure

Whether u believe d story or not, there is no smoke witout fire. PERIOD.