The House of Representatives is to spend about N55bn next year on “miscellaneous” items, office furniture and local/international travels.

Details of the 2010 budget also show that the House will incur more costs on various recurrent sub-heads in the coming year above the amount spent on the same purposes in 2009.

International and local travels by members of the House will consume N22bn (N18bn for local travels and N4bn for international travels) in 2010 as against the N19.8bn voted for the sub-head in 2009.

About N13.5bn was voted for miscellaneous expenses, out of which N4.2bn was set aside for public hearings to be conducted by standing committees of the House.

There are over 80 committees in the House, but in 2009, many of them did not conduct any hearings. However, N3.6bn was voted for public hearings in 2009.

Besides, a separate N15.8bn was set aside as “sitting allowances” for the 360 members of the House.

Sittings during public hearings are counted as normal sittings of committees. It was not clear why a separate vote of N4.2bn was provided for public hearings.

Further details show that the “maintenance of office furniture” will cost N287.5m in 2010 as against N250m in 2009.

Investigations by our correspondent on Monday, however, indicated that some office furniture purchased for the House this year, including chairs, were yet to be installed.

Many chairs purchased for committee rooms are still piled up in the rooms owing to lack of space to mount them.

Similarly, N460m was set aide for House committees to hire the services of consultants in 2010, up from the N400m voted for the sub-head in 2009.

Each committee was allocated N5m to hire consultants, though not all committees of the House carry out visible oversight duties.

Another whopping N3.7bn was allocated to “materials and supplies,” out of which N952.7m is for the purchase of “computer materials” and supplies and another N355.1m for “library books and periodicals.”

This year, N308.8m was voted for books and periodicals, besides the N200m earmarked for “purchase of books for National Assembly library.”

Checks at the library, however, revealed that the library had neither been expanded nor had new books worth N200m been purchased by officials.

The “maintenance of computers and other information technology equipment” at the House cost N360m in 2009. Next year, N952.7m will be spent to procure new ones.

The total budget of the House for 2010 is N58.1bn.

Seems like these people is yet to get it that nothing in the world is same as it used to be.

The reps are no longer the problem. The people are; WE ARE. ANOTHER YEAR is coming to an end and we are sitting back to watch another round of waste, with not a peep out of us. Something is definitely wrong with us; we need help!

I totally agree with you, WE ARE THE PROBLEM.
Can you imagine this amount of money being wasted on things that doesnt even matter?

This is why I miss the student union groups of the 1980's.

By now, they would have blockaded congress to protest this kain nonsense.

some of those student unions are the leaders of today that are busy taking bribe all over the place

Tinibu and Fashola are anti civil servants. They can not lead us at the national level. They are anti- civil servants and they are going to destroy NLC if they are in charge.

Could you believe that Lagos generates about N14 billion monthly on Internal Generated Revenue (IGR), and Lagos civil servants are still the least paid in Nigeria.

Pls go and find out.

wonder_Why:

Tinibu and Fashola are anti civil servants. They can not lead us at the national level. They are anti- civil servants and they are going to destroy NLC if they are in charge.

Could you believe that Lagos generates about N14 billion monthly on Internal Generated Revenue (IGR), and Lagos civil servants are still the least paid in Nigeria.

Pls go and find out.

How much are the civil servants in lagos are getting paid.
Lagos state is generating 14B a month and how much do you think it takes to pay all those lazy-come-to-work-to-sell lace employees?
I will admit some or shd i say few of them are working but most of them are just bench warmers, they do nothing at work, and some dont even come to work, that is why you cant call any office in Nigeria and get anyone there, cos they are all never at work.

I think some of the services shd be contracted out anyways.

It is this kind of headline that gives credence to the ND agitation.
Such ridiculous waste on Reps. who make no (meaningful) legislations and actions year-in, year-out.

puskin:

It is this kind of headline that gives credence to the ND agitation.
Such ridiculous waste on Reps. who make no (meaningful) legislations and actions year-in, year-out.

some bunch of high school kids volunteering at the state house can do most of what the fools have been doing, which is nothing.

And the looting continues. What a shame. How long shall we continue like this? I weep for Nigeria. Our corruption stinks to high heavens. Everywhere i go, I am confronted with the question: why cant you people deal with the corruption in your goverment?

STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHT OR DIE WHILE SITTING. My fellow bro&sis, whena re will gonna start confronting our useless leaders?

hajifaty:

STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHT OR DIE WHILE SITTING. My fellow bro&sis, whena re will gonna start confronting our useless leaders?

there has to be a genuine plan to do this and not just anyhow