No more hiding place for jumbo pays.


A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the National Assembly to disclose financial details of its highly secretive constituency allowances, in a landmark judgment that may unearth the true scale of allowances earned by Nigerian lawmakers.

The judgment was delivered by Justice Abdu Kafarati in a Freedom of Information suit, filed against the National Assembly by a nongovernmental organization, the Legal Defence and Assistance Project, LEDAP.

Although the judgment was delivered back in February, PREMIUM TIMES obtained copies of the judgment Tuesday.

Details of the judgment shows the court directed the Clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa, to declare all budgetary allocations to members of the National Assembly for Constituency Projects between 2011 and 2013.

The National Assembly was ordered to provide LEDAP the details of every project earned for each constituency from 2011 to 2013, details of all budgetary allocations made in respect of each constituency project, and the details of the progress of the projects.

The court demanded that Mr. Maikasuwa provide the requested information within seven days.

Mr. Maikasuwa has not complied with the order more than two months after. He has appealed the ruling.
In his defence, the Clerk argued that he had no knowledge of the requested information, referring LEDAP to the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Appropriation Acts.

But the judge insisted that the National Assembly should provide all the information regarding Constituency Projects and how they are funded.

Section 2(1) of the FOI Act requires all public institutions to ensure that it records and keeps information about all its activities, operations and businesses. The act also gives the right to access the stored information to any person upon request, and when in denial can be taken to court.

Constituency Projects were conceived in the 4th assembly to help lawmakers go beyond their legislative duties to funding physical projects in their constituencies.

It is believed to have since been abused and turned into a slush fund for lawmakers who often use the money to finance their expensive lifestyles.

The amount of money the National Assembly receives – or sets aside – for constituency projects annually and how it is disbursed has for years been shrouded in secrecy.

Lawmakers are believed to receive huge sums, running into tens of millions, as Constituency Allowance every quarter.

The judgment is the first successful legal move to open up National Assembly spending on Constituency Allowance.

Source: http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/180729-court-orders-nassembly-to-disclose-details-of-constituency-allowance-paid-to-lawmakers.html

CC: lalasticlala

The National Assembly would never. Saddens me to know even the APC lawmakers would support flouting such court order.

This is a time for Tambuwal to lead by example.

#WeNeedToKnow.

omenka:
The National Assembly would never. Saddens me to know even the APC lawmakers would support flouting such court order.

This is a time for Tambuwal to lead by example.

#WeNeedToKnow.

I agree. It's really sad that our lawmakers have continued to show utmost secrecy in their allowances. It's high time this insult stops!

I call on the NLC to give some warning shot on the way forward on this. A tiny group of thieves shouldn't be accruing ssooo much to their narrow stomachs!

Loving this.

KHAYGOLD:
Loving this.

Bro, believe me: this is the best news I have read today. It's being bothering my mind how much these thieves earn.

We need to lend our voice to this course.

Change

Moderators, please move this thread to the FP; more people should make meaningful contributions to this thread!

Issues are these are a huge boost to the progress of this nation.

Make una leave this tribal war and celebrity talk for now!

This is how the FOI act should be used we must know how much those fat thieves that does nothing siphons from our economy.l trust the change agents that dominate the National assembly to quickly make public their pay and the progressive incoming president to slash it by at least 60%

abacrested:
Change

If this a part of the change, then it's really going to be better in the long run.

ozoigbondu:
This is how the FOI act should be used

Yes. I really think we don't understand the tool we have in the FOI!

Bro, these thieves must reveal their titanic pays!

Constituency projects? Pah! I can't point at one in my location.

All they do is eat and eat. Gluttons. That place must be cleansed MASSIVELY.
You are elected to serve and serve you must.
If they are interested in only money, they can consider founding businesses.

First kudos to the civil rights group LEDAP.
Secondly,kudos to the judge; there are few out there still making the judiciary proud.
Lastly this judgement is coming into effect just about the right time.With GMB at the saddle,carrying the moral burden and hopes of Nigerians and with his avowed anti corruption stance,its just for civil society groups to make this judgement as much public as they can,I bet everyone GMB himself would be made to put pressure on those thieves to disclose all what they have been siphoning in the name of constituency projects.
A new era is unfolding in Nigeria and in this era blind affiliation to party while they rap-e Nigeria blind would b resisted and I feel that's d kind of support GMB needs from Nigerians because let no one make no mistake about it,even those in d APC would try to find ways to distract and sabotage the man's efforts to sanitize the system.With our support,he wud have d moral and 'electorate' power to carry out tough but necessary decisions for the nations growth.

Haba! Moderators...

FP things...Bikooo Na plead we plead Oooo

Thanks.

MODS please move this thread to the permanent site!

Wolexdey:
Haba! Moderators...

FP things...Bikooo Na plead we plead Oooo

Thanks.

I don wait tire. Matters wey affect us like this should be swiftly catapulted to the FP.

tollu:
Constituency projects? Pah! I can't point at one in my location.

All they do is eat and eat. Gluttons. That place must be cleansed MASSIVELY.
You are elected to serve and serve you must.
If they are interested in only money, they can consider founding businesses.

That's another conduit for waste and corruption!

Ehen.
So long overdue abeg.
#LovingThese

rocgirl:
Ehen.
So long overdue abeg.
#LovingThese

I'm loving it too. Though the battle isn't over, we seem to be on the right start.

These thieves must reveal and slash their emoluments!

ozoigbondu:
This is how the FOI act should be used we must know how much those fat thieves that does nothing siphons from our economy.l trust the change agents that dominate the National assembly to quickly make public their pay and the progressive incoming president to slash it by at least 60%

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha let's hope so

dearpreye:


I don wait tire. Matters wey affect us like this should be swiftly catapulted to the FP.

You're on Point!

Time to Unmask the real thiefs in Nigeria.

National Assembly is the sit of corruption in Nigeria; eats over 25% of National budget, goes abroad to spend the loot in luxury...damage the economy, impoverish the masses and go over to secondary schools and universities fu*cking the teenage daughters of the poor man in exchange for peanuts...and using the guys for political rituals.