No constituency allowance for Federal lawmakers, says Ndoma-Egba


You are a SAN, which makes you an upholder of the law, can you tell us how much you earn as a senator?

This is my payment details (presents a document that shows a net payment of N619, 000 per month) My salaries are fixed by the Revenue Mobilization, Wages and Fiscal Commission. That is the guidelines for everybody.

How much do you collect as constituency allowance?

There is nothing like constituency allowance. There is no such thing. It exists only in the imagination of the public

What about constituency projects which some are saying have been reduced to giving out generators, sewing machines and the likes, do you think that is the best that senators can do?

Constituency projects to my understanding are projects that are secured in the federal budget for your constituency. People out there erroneously think that legislators are given money to go and execute constituency projects. There is no such a thing. You as a lawmaker lobby and get projects that would benefit your constituents, put into the budget. That is what is called Constituency Projects. Whether the projects goes into the budget from the lawmakers or from the executives, they are all constituency projects.

Any project by the president from the ministry would definitely be in somebody’s constituency. They are called constituency projects because, the initiative to get them into the budget is from the legislator. We also have social responsibility programmes. For instance, I have a scholarship scheme. I have a Small and Medium Scale Business Initiative Scheme, I have a computer training Programme. Those ones are paid for from my pockets and I can determine how I want to spend my money. I can decide to buy hairdressing items for people, it is my decision, it is my money.

After initiating projects in the budget, do you monitor the execution of such projects?

As lawmakers, we monitor the projects from the moment that we ensured that they have been accommodated in the budget. The procurement and execution now shift to the executive arm. They will award the contract, they would supervise, and execute. The lawmaker’s role is just to monitor and make sure that the project is completed.

But we heard of cases whereby the executive deliberately delayed project execution till the last quarter of the year only for them to approach the lawmakers for negotiations on how the amount voted for the project could be shared without executing the project?

I am hearing of this for the first time. But if journalists have this evidence, they will help the society by publishing it.

With the conservativeness of the Senate over time, Nigerians seem to have given up on it, , believing that the upper chamber has become a rubber stamp body to the executive. What do you think about this?

I don’t understand you. Can you site instances? ?

There are so many instances sir like the recent one when the embarrassing issue of arms deal in South Africa broke , the Senate did not say anything about it. .

Well, first of all, we must have some historical perspective to the senate worldwide, globally from history. The senate is supposed to be most sedate and that is why, even constitutionally, the entry requirements are higher for senators because it is supposed to be a matured institution and Senates were designed to stabilize the polity in times of crisis and not to be part of the problem of the polity. If you look at the historical role of the Nigerian senate, we have consistently played that role of stabilizing the polity. We should not descend into the arena.

Nigerians were of the view that the senate’s recent showdown with the presidency was for selfish reasons and not about their welfare. What is your reaction to this?

I don’t agree with you on that.

Some people say most of you senators have lost touch with your constituencies and that’s why you demanded for automatic tickets?

http://www.mynewswatchtimesng.com/no-constituency-allowance-federal-lawmakers-says-ndoma-egba/