Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has charged Nigerians to change the perception that the country runs the most expensive National Assembly in the world.

He revealed that the National Assembly spends less than two per cent of the national budget.

Gbajabiamila disclosed this at the 10th annual symposium of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria, B-Zone, in Abeokuta, as his reaction to a statement credited to the Vice-Chancellor of Ahman Pategi University, Patigi, Kwara state, Professor Mahfouz Adedimeji, who said that Nigeria runs the most expensive National Assembly in the world.

“With due respect to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nigeria spends the highest amount of money on the legislators in the world and the National Assembly consumes more money than any other parliament in the world.

“A unicameral legislature with two representatives from each state is sufficient. The National Assembly should have less than 100 members, including Abuja,” Adedimeji stated in his lecture.

However, Gbajabiamila denied the statement, describing his perception as wrong.

“No one till today has actually sat down to go into research and define the meaning of legislators.

“The money being spent on the national assembly is less than two per cent of the total budget of this country; but nobody, has ever looked at what is happening to the remaining 98 per cent. And when you say National Assembly, you are not talking about legislators, who are the lawmakers only. You are also talking about the National Assembly Commission, you are talking about everything, all encompassing,” he said.

Globad:
Is it the percentage of the budget that is the issue or the amount that goes to each of them?

This is what he should compare to what others elsewhere receive and not merely express it as a percentage

Ovamboland:


Is the payment to the legislators meant for eating and buying toys? Are you aware of the purpose to which the allowances is meant for? If the present crop are not using it for that purpose does it mean the purpose is now useless and no longer necessary?

The budget of the national assembly is about 130bn which includes the salary of about 1000 staff working in the assembly complex. This is about 1% of our 13 trillion budget. Even if you reduce it at most by 50% it will be 65bn.

Now we need to triple our budget to meet our growth needs. We need about 26 trillion extra, how can saving 65bn from NASS be the major reason for not having 26 trillion? We are looking in the wrong place

Ovamboland:


Is the payment to the legislators meant for eating and buying toys? Are you aware of the purpose to which the allowances is meant for? If the present crop are not using it for that purpose does it mean the purpose is now useless and no longer necessary?

The budget of the national assembly is about 130bn which includes the salary of about 1000 staff working in the assembly complex. This is about 1% of our 13 trillion budget. Even if you reduce it at most by 50% it will be 65bn.

Now we need to triple our budget to meet our growth needs. We need about 26 trillion extra, how can saving 65bn from NASS be the major reason for not having 26 trillion? We are looking in the wrong place

Ovamboland:


Is the payment to the legislators meant for eating and buying toys? Are you aware of the purpose to which the allowances is meant for? If the present crop are not using it for that purpose does it mean the purpose is now useless and no longer necessary?

The budget of the national assembly is about 130bn which includes the salary of about 1000 staff working in the assembly complex. This is about 1% of our 13 trillion budget. Even if you reduce it at most by 50% it will be 65bn.

Now we need to triple our budget to meet our growth needs. We need about 26 trillion extra, how can saving 65bn from NASS be the major reason for not having 26 trillion? We are looking in the wrong place