The cut in the budget of the National
Assembly from N150bn to N120bn is
beginning to hit members of the House
of Representatives hard, resulting in
unpaid salaries.
The 360-member legislature has not
paid the June and July salaries of
lawmakers.
Findings by The PUNCH on Thursday
showed that the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu
Dogara, took hours to lament the poor
financial situation of the House during
a crucial meeting with his colleagues
in Abuja.
Delayed releases by the finance
ministry has also been identified as
one of the factors contributing to the
cash crunch facing the lawmakers.
The late-night meeting was convened
in one of the halls at the New Wing of
the House, away from prying eyes of
non-members.
“Well, members were beginning to ask
questions about payments; their due
salaries and other entitlements.
“The speaker came to open the books
and to complain that he too is
handicapped because there is no
money,” a senior House member
confided in The PUNCH .
Investigations showed that the
lawmakers were expected to receive
about N18m each in June when they
arrived in Abuja for the new term.
The money was to cover
accommodation, furniture and other
provisions worked out in line with
percentages in their template.
However, they were said to have been
paid only N10m as the House
leadership simply said it could not
afford the N18m.
“Car loan in particular was deferred; so
for now, there is nothing like car or
loans for that purpose,” the lawmaker
who briefed our correspondent said.
The PUNCH learnt on Thursday that
during Tuesday’s meeting with the
speaker, the lawmakers also got
another shocker when Dogara
announced that the House could not
afford to procure utility vehicles for
them this year.
The utility vehicles are officially
attached to committees for oversight
duties but in reality are in the custody
of the members.
Members simply take along such
vehicles with them at the expiration of
their tenure after paying a fraction of
the purchase price to the Management
of the National Assembly on terms
agreed by both parties.
It was gathered that Tuesday’s
meeting was called on the heels of
complaints by members that they had
yet to receive bank alerts for their
June and July salaries.
There were also said to be complaints
over general cash crunch in the House,
with some services facing challenges.
Another member of the House, who
was at the meeting spoke more, “It
was to present the situation as it is;
the accounts are low.
“Knowing the way this place operates,
soon, someone could start a rumour
that the leadership is sitting on the
money of members.
“The reality is that there is no money;
the cut in the budget is beginning to
bite everybody.
“The speaker went to the meeting with
the template for the entitlements of
every member for frank discussions.
“Everyone now knows what they are
supposed to get and if they are not
able to get it, they know why.”
When contacted, the Special Assistant
to the Speaker on Media and Public
Affairs, Mr. Turaki Hassan, declined to
speak on the issue.
Hassan referred our correspondent to
the Chairman, Ad hoc Committee on
Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Sani
Zoro.
“Call Sani Zoro; being a House matter,
he is the appropriate person to speak
on it,” he said.
When our correspondent called Zoro,
he claimed not to know that such a
meeting took place.
“Was there any meeting like that? Let
me get across to the speaker and I will
call you,” he said.
As of the time of filing this report on
Thursday, Zoro had not called back.
But, in the chamber, the House
mandated one of its adhoc committees
to investigate the alleged retrieval of
N1.17bn from the account of the
Sokoto Rima River Basin Development
Authority by the Ministry of Finance.
Mr. Musa Sarkin-Ada, in a motion he
moved on the issue, claimed that the
money was paid into the account of
the agency for projects it executed in
2014.
Sarkin-Ada said the money was paid
into the agency’s account with a
commercial bank on March 11 this
year.
“On April 11, the ministry inexplicably
made the bank to return the money to
it, an action that rendered the authority
incapable of discharging its
constitutional obligations.”
He added that a series of complaints
the agency made to the ministry over
the matter had not received serious
attention.
The House resolved to mandate its ad
hoc committee to investigate the issue
and produce a report within one month.
www.punchng.com/news/cash-crunch-hits-house-of-reps/

na wa

them never here am

NA LIE.let dem feast on the one dey have stolen in the past.

Let them feel the pain of the common man too, so that they can represent the common man better.

I don't believe it

Me right now

“Well, members were beginning to ask questions about payments; their due salaries and other entitlements.

“The speaker came to open the books and to complain that he too is handicapped because there is no money,” a senior House member confided in The PUNCH .

Investigations showed that the lawmakers were expected to receive about N18m each in June when they arrived in Abuja for the new term.

This lawmakers and money. They have been getting so many estacodes outside salaries and allowances, but are now complaining because of just two months pay. Beside, why should each of them be paid N18m in june when they did NOTHING and were on vacation (recess) for the whole of June till late July?

I like that.no be only civil servants them go dey owe.I wish it extends to 9months