[size=14pt]Allowances: NASS accuses Executive of treason[/size]
•Senators, Reps summon Aganga, Sanusi, others •Lawmakers mutilated key electoral reform recommendations – Uwais
By Adetutu Folasade-Koyi,  Rotimi Akinwumi (Abuja) and  Rafiu Ajakaye (Lagos)

On Tuesday, Senators rattled by newspaper reports accused President Goodluck Jonathan of treason by orchestrating a warfare against the National Assembly (NASS) which has pitched the public against the legislature.

The House of Representatives is equally aggrieved.

However, former Chief Justice Muhammadu Uwais has piled up the pressure by accusing federal lawmakers of deliberately mutilating key recommendations of the Electoral Reform Committee (ERC) to keep the status quo and favour themselves.

The Senate has summoned Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Sanusi Lamido, and Finance Minister Olusegun Aganga to explain the allegations about funds allocated to the NASS.

They are to appear before the Senate today, alongside Presidential Assistant on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Amina Al-Zubair.

Senators on Tuesday looked beyond statements credited to Jonathan’s Ministers and aides, less than 24 hours after the Senate replied Lamido that lawmakers do not collect 25 per cent of the recurrent expenditure of the federal budget.

Aganga disclosed on Monday that efforts were underway to cut the recurrent expenditure of the NASS, recalling that  he had personally raised the issue of the huge expenditure of the NASS before now.

A day after, the Senate at plenary analysed the attacks on the NASS coming from the Ministers and concluded that there is more to it than meets the eye.

To the lawmakers, comments from the executive are akin to declaring war on the legislature – and a rally cry to “save democracy” reverberated in the Chamber.

Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, Jibril Aminu, fired the first salvo when he described comments from Sanusi and Aganga as a declaration of war on the NASS, and by extension, on democracy.   

“This is a serious matter and I would advise that we handle it with maturity. I believe this is a war that is being funded and orchestrated by the executive. It’s not difficult to see it,” Aminu argued.

“They attack us, even through people we least expect to do so. We’ve treated Aganga and Sanusi very well here.

“We are actually fighting for democracy and I say that we must not give up on the amendment of the electoral laws. People who know pretend not to know. They are abusing us, they are abusing democracy.”

Power and Steel Committee Vice Chairman, Uche Chukwumerije, viewed the comments as “a deliberate act of incitement that go beyond (Aganga). The earlier we tackle them, the better. This is an ill-wind that blows no side any good.”

Information and Media Committee Chairman, Ayogu Eze, said: “This is an equivalent of treason. It’s an attempt to arrest democracy. We should take this more seriously. Somebody is trying to take us to where we are coming from.

“This is an ambush on democracy;  trying to truncate democracy by denigrating the NASS which is the symbol of democracy.”

Senate President David Mark agreed that, “They owe us explanations and more importantly, they owe the nation an explanation. Obviously, there’s more to it than is coming up now. They are lies and there’s no iota of truth whatsoever in whatever they are saying.”

Senate Deputy Leader told his colleagues that there is a deliberate act by the executive to incite Nigerians against the NASS.

His words: “On Monday, we woke up to screaming headlines about allocation of 25 per cent of the recurrent expenditure to the (NASS). The headlines attributed the comments to (Sanusi).

“As if that wasn’t enough, today (Tuesday), (Aganga) said the government has moved to cut the budget of the NASS in the 2011 Appropriation Bill.

“The national budget for 2010 is N4.4 trillion and what was appropriated to the NASS is just N158 billion.”

He said to suggest that this appropriation, which is 3.5 percent of the national budget, amounts to 25 per cent, is, “to say the least, mischievous. There’s a calculated attempt to incite the public against the NASS. What the public has done is to attribute what is overheads in running the NASS to what we collect as wages and allowances.”

Senate Chief Whip Mahmud Bello accused Sanusi of blackmail.

“To make matters worse, for (Sanusi) to say we are ‘eating,’ because what he’s saying is that we are ‘eating,’ is pure blackmail. This blackmail is too much,” Bello moaned.

Deputy Minority Leader Olorunnimbe Mamora recounted how he was “highly traumatised and depressed when I read the report. I asked myself: Is it a crime to be a member of the NASS? Why should we go through this because we are NASS members?”

National Intelligence and Security Committee Chairman, Nuhu Aliyu, described the Presidential aides as rumour mongers.

Deputy Minority Whip Kabiru Gaya pleaded that Sanusi “was misquoted; but having said that, this is deliberate attempt to damage the image of the NASS. We should press ahead with the amendment of the electoral laws.”

Today, another meeting of the PDP caucus in the Senate will address “crucial issues affecting the party and the polity. Please, all of you are required to attend immediately after sitting,” Mark said.

Both Lamido and Aganga also came up for knocks in the House of Representatives, which equally invited them to explain their comments.

The House urged Sanusi to desist from utterances capable of ridiculing the integrity, reputation, and patriotism of NASS members.

Halims Agoda (PDP, Delta), who tabled a motion that was unanimously adopted, said the allegations by Sanusi are damaging to the NASS, and should be subjected to further investigation and forensic analysis.

Igo Aguma (PDP, Rivers) said Sanusi’s comments showed disloyalty and demanded his resignation.

Patrick Ikhariale (PDP, Edo) said the comments  portray NASS members as thieves before other Nigerians.

But Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi (PDP, Enugu), Banking and Finance Committee Chairman,  cautioned that Sanusi was probably quoted out of context.

He said the comments by Sanusi were a bye-product of information given to him by Aganga, and both of them should be invited to appear before the House tomorrow.

Speaker Dimeji Bankole urged his colleagues not to be deterred by such comments to continue to  tell the truth at all times.

Speaking on electoral reform, Uwais, the retired Chief Justice,  also knocked the political parties, particularly Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for not backing the reform efforts of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

Uwais expressed regret that Yar’Adua’s commitment appeared to be at variance with the interest of PDP hawks who watched while NASS members shoved aside the blueprint to overhaul the system.

Uwais chaired the 22-man ERC whose recommendations enjoyed huge support among the masses and the civil society who hailed them as the touchstone for credible elections.

He spoke in Lagos at the Electoral Integrity Lecture series hosted by the Obafemi Awolowo Institute of Government and Public Policy (OAIGPP).

The event was attended by top politicians, academics, civil rights activists, and market women.

Uwais restated his confidence that Nigeria will be good for it if the ERC report is implemented.

He recalled how the ERC walked the length and breadth of the country gathering diverse views, and consulted foreign experts on electoral reform, but lamented that most of its recommendations were rejected in different phases.

His words: “The President forwarded, in April 2009, seven Bills to the (NASS) for the purpose of implementing the ERC report. Of these, the National Assembly, in its wisdom, after rejecting two Bills, (an amendment of the Police Act and creation of the Electoral Offences Commission) decided to consider so far only the Bills for the amendment of the 1999 Constitution and the 2006 Act.

“In the course of debating the bills, the (NASS), in addition, exercised its prerogative to modify and mutilate some key recommendations of the ERC, thus, radically changing the import and complexion of the recommendations.”

Uwais said such resistance to change is not peculiar to Nigeria, because ruling parties often feel threatened by decisions capable of undercutting their chances at the poll.

But he warned that the rejection of ERC report has eclipsed Nigeria’s attempt to reform the system.

“It is clear that politicians, in any given country, will usually be reluctant to modify the existing electoral system because there tends to be significant transitional cost that accompanies the move from one system to another.

“Of critical concern to them is the possibility that changing the system may result in their losing upcoming elections or losing their electoral dominance.

"It appears the goal of political parties is to win elections and exercise political power, and therefore, if reforms threaten their hold on power, then, it can be presumed that they will be reluctant to support them. 

“In the case of Nigeria, it seems that the late Yar’Adua acted unilaterally when he announced his commitment to reform our electoral system. The political parties and his own PDP in particular were passive and have not been known to lobby or publicly direct their members in the (NASS) or state legislatures to support the electoral reform.”

http://www.independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Article.aspx?id=24700

. . .And so WWIII kicked off!!!

Sanusi is in for it . . .those guys at the NASS are orcas

for the sake of transparency, the federal government should ensure that salaries and allowances of high ranking officials are made public!. . .

Hungry guys defending their pork barrel scratchings by any means necessary.

They should stop and think a minute. Most other lawmakers who face public outburst would reduce their pay because they represent the people so must be paid as the people dictate. What are these crooks shouting for? I never believed in American system of Govt anyway. Too many reps all over the place chopping money.

^Legislooters in high places. As we speak ALL(I mean with no exception) of them are gunning desperately for relection. If we dont stop these men, they will increase it to 50% on their come back. Greedy men bereft of ideas!

The executive and the legislature are not in any way different from each other,they are both corrupt and useless.

They need to be schooled. There's a difference between recurrent expenditure and a national budget. The former is a a subset of the latter.

Beaf:

[size=14pt]Allowances: NASS accuses Executive of treason[/size]

However, former Chief Justice Muhammadu Uwais has piled up the pressure by accusing federal lawmakers of deliberately mutilating key recommendations of the Electoral Reform Committee (ERC) to keep the status quo and favour themselves.

The Senate has summoned Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Sanusi Lamido, and Finance Minister Olusegun Aganga to explain the allegations about funds allocated to the NASS.

Summoned eh? They should be ashamed instead.

These people are there sharing our money among themselves and Nigerians are laughing
instead of protesting.

", Happiest pipu in the world , "

NASS members are more than armed robbers.Bunch of thieves.Sanusi is more than hundred percent right.If Nigerians fail to address this issue now,it will continue to hunt our economy.Money that is supposed to use and develop this country and create jobs for the teeming populace will be channeled to only one set of thieves called NASS.How many countries in this world gulp the kind of money Nigerian NASS members take?.Tell me if there is any.A poverty ridden country is spending more than any other countries in maintaining the rogues called NASS members,what an irony!!!.This is absolute nonsense!!!.Something need to be done urgently.Before any of them become a member,check their financial profile.But as soon as they climb,everything will change immediately---an avenue to amass wealth overnight.Nonsense NASS members.Time for everybody to rise up and fight these bunch of idiots calling themselves law makers.

The executive and the legislature are not in any way different from each other,they are both corrupt and useless.

@BLUETOOTH
u have simply said the truth i a VERY concise manner, GBAM!!!!

Deputy Minority Leader Olorunnimbe Mamora recounted how he was “highly traumatised and depressed when I read the report. I asked myself: Is it a crime to be a member of the NASS? Why should we go through this because we are NASS members?”

N2m/month and you still 'depressed and traumatized'. e never start yet

thieves