It is very glaring that Nigerian legislators have deliberately misinterpreted oversight functions as license to appropriate humongous salaries, allowances, constituency votes that are alien to the constitution to augment legitimate monthly salaries of NGN1.5m and NGN1.3m naira respectively!

They clandestinely re-wrote, re-invented, amended, or padded annual budgets submitted by the executive at their whims and caprices for the sole purpose of aggrandizement! Although in the 21 years (1999-2021), of the fresh attempt to practice transparent democracy, the National Assembly (NASS), salary structure has remained very controversial and very secretive, the 469 Legislators’ flamboyant, expensive and stupendous lifestyle in the midst of over 190million poverty-stricken Nigerians had always exposed them as the proverbial ostrich which buries its head in the sand for safety!

With legislative impunity unbefitting of the
CITIZENS’ REPRESENTATIVES, the lawmakers completely sidelined the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), the constitutional agency which fixes salaries of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), set up a parallel NASS Finance Section to allot and disburse their salaries and allowances which was always between NGN115-150 billion naira of annual budgets!

EVERY LIE HAS A TERMINAL DATE!

At a public event in Abuja on Monday 13th December, 2021, veteran politician (1999-2021) and Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, disclosed that Senators/Representatives collect NGN52m and NGN32m, respectively as annual running allowances. According to him, the monthly salary of a Senator was NGN1.5m and that of a Representative was NGN1.3m! He told participants in a paper he presented at the First Distinguished Parliamentarians Lecture Series that the alleged NGN13m that dominated public domain some years back was a Senator’s quarterly office running allowance while that of the Representative was NGN8m, which according to him were the lowest in any presidential democracy in the world!

At that amount, each Senator collected NGN3.25m monthly while his House of Representative counterpart collected NGN2m! In 2016, Senator Shehu Sanni, (then of the All Progressives Congress, APC) unveiled the secrecy behind Senators’ running allowance which was then NGN3.5million and whereas Senator Mrs. ‘Remi Tinubu claimed she got NGN3.8m - monies being paid from BORROWED FOREIGN LOANS! These narratives are completely opposite to Senator Lawan’s claims!

HAS THE EXECUTIVE EVER COMPLAINED OF NASS EXCESSES?

The Executive and the 9th NASS Legislators work hand in gloves! Although Senator Lawan was quick to state in a recent paper that the Red Chamber legislators were not a “rubber stamp” appendage of the Chief Executive Officer,
President Buhari, but the citizens are too wise to believe such brazen lies! Every demand from both side of the divide was always treated with express dispatch to avoid confrontation and allow for smooth running of government according to inside sources unlike what obtained under the Saraki/Dogara debacle of the 8th NASS!

According to Senator Lawan the legislative allowances were to cover running costs which included but not limited to medical services; professional consulting; vehicles/office equipment, consisting of computers, printers, photo copying machines, television sets, etc, maintenance; books, magazines, newspapers; local/international travels, etc, BUT failed to mention that:
The legislators got presidential approval of NGN55billion naira to purchase exotic FOREIGN CARS/ JEEPS; and,
Collected N37BILLION TO RENOVATE THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX, AND IN RECIPROCITY, the Senators were also quick to approve a foreign loan of USD$ 22.7 dollars for the president to execute fresh critical infrastructures across Nigeria
in May 2020, and subsequent loans in 2021!

Another N850 billion loan which was a conversion of a planned external loan to domestic borrowing (in a “rub my back …I rub your back” gesture), in spite of the negative fallout of the Coronavirus pandemic on the economy! ** * **BUT the nation’s DEBT PROFILE SINCE 2015, which is very close to NGN9TRILLION NAIRA AND STILL RISING MUST BE CONTINUALLY SERVICED ACCORDING TO CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT IF NOT RE-NEGOTIATED!!

ALL LOANS (from 2015-2021), according to the President were (a) To finance the Budget deficits, (b) Financing of critical projects and (c) Supporting some States of the Federation! [The same old STORY and with no concrete INFRASTRUCTURES TO MATCH ALMOST NGN9TRILLION DEBT ON HAND!]

Please find below some excerpts of our 2017 Christmas 288th Edition dated 24th December, 2017, in respect of abuse of constitutional provisions by legislators!

THE IMMENSE CONSTITUTIONAL POWERS OF NIGERIAN LEGISLATORS!

“In Section 4 (1) - (9) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, legislators are empowered (in a nutshell), (a) to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Federation or any part thereof with respect to any matter included in the Exclusive Legislative List set out in Part I of the Second Schedule to the Constitution, to the exclusion of the State Houses of Assembly; and (b) matters in the Concurrent Legislative List and any other matter with respect to which it is empowered to make laws in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Federal Constitution.“They are also backed by law to carry out legislative oversight functions on both the Private and Public Institutions, especially the Ministries Departments and Agencies, (MDAs), for the purposes of CHECKS AND BALANCES, to ensure probity, equity in appropriation and execution in budgetary transactions of government at the Federal platforms.“Under Sections 88 (1) (2)-89 (1) (2), legislators have powers to conduct investigations into any matter or thing with respect to which it has power to make laws; and the conduct of affairs of any person, authority, Ministry or government charged, or intended to be charged with the duty of or responsibility for executing or administering laws enacted by NASS and disbursing or administering moneys appropriated or to be appropriated by NASS; EXPOSE CORRUPTION, INEFFICIENCY OR WASTE IN THE EXECUTION OR ADMINISTRATION OF LAWS WITHIN ITS LEGISLATIVE COMPETENCE AND IN THE DISBURSEMENT OR ADMINISTRATION OF FUNDS APPROVED BY IT ........ETC!

WHO OVERSIGHTS THE CORRUPT LEGISLATORS STILL WALKING FREE?

But outside of these spheres, the legislators have become busy-bodies and meddlesome interlopers as they struggle very unsuccessfully, to take over executive functions and power from President Muhammadu Buhari at every opportunity, through spurious interpretation of their oversight functions, when constitutional INTERPRETATION OF LAWS is the sole function of the JUDICIARY and PROSECUTION OF OFFENDERS, REST WITH THE EXECUTIVE! Should Nigerians wonder why Ibrahim Magu's confirmation was rejected twice and why Senator Ali Ndume was suspended for SIX LEGISLATIVE MONTHS OF 181 DAYS because he contradicted his colleagues? Legislators that are claiming relevance through the Constitution have messy antecedents: *Not less than 15 Senators are under EFCC investigations for corrupt enrichment; * Saraki has been ordered for re-trial at the CCT, for fraudulent declaration of assets between 2003-2011, when he served as Governor of Kwara State; * Corrupt ex-governors are members of the "hallowed chambers"; and * Some of them conspired to forge the Senate Rules to get into office by hook or crook!

TIME TO EXPOSE THESE ENEMIES OF THE MASSES IS NOW!

We advocate that the WHISTLE BLOWERS in conjunction with the NGOs, CSOs, Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Rights (CASER), Stand Up For Nigeria (SUN), SERAP and all downtrodden Nigerians whose sweat and blood constitute the common wealth being looted by these reckless and heartless politicians, should dig out the legislators' SKELETONS and expose the OSTRICHS, whose heads are buried in the sand!

LET'S NAME, SHAME THE CROOKED LEGISLATION WHO ARE HIDING BEHIND OVERSIGHT FUNCTIONS TO CAUSE HAVOC AND KILL THE OBNOXIOUS AND ANTI-CITIZENS NGO AND CIVIL SOCIETY COMMITTEE OF NIGERIA BILLS, PENDING AT THE NASS, NOW!
"Righteousness exalts a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs. 14:34).
TO SHUT DOWN THE SENATE IN 2022 THROUGH POPULAR REFERENDUM IS A TASK THAT MUST BE DONE! [The following piece was first published in our Edition 414th of 18 July, 2021; please copy and circulate on the Social Media to garner support for an URGENT REFERENDUM that will usher permanent peace to the nation!]

“BUT WITH THE REFERENDUM’S SIMPLE “YES” OR “NO”, TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ALL CRIMINALS WILL DROP THEIR WEAPONS AND NIGERIA WILL EMBRACE EVERLASTING PEACE AGAIN!

Should the Nigeria SENATE be disbanded and shut down? YES!
Should a UNICAMERAL PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT with 74 or less members be established to replace the DOLLAR-GULPING PRESIDENTIAL REGIME? YES!
DEVOLUTION OF POWERS to the States through Resource Control/Self Governance SO THAT STATES SHOULD PAY NEGOTIATED PERCENTAGE TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT? YES!
STATE POLICE AND STATE PRISONS to be run by all States of the Federation in respect of ALL crimes? YES!
INDEPENDENT CANDIDACY should be enjoyed if such candidate was not a member of any political party, six months prior to any election? YES!

Should the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs), enjoy constitutional autonomy and be free to legislate and create any number of councils as they so desired? YES!
Food, Drugs and poison to be moved to the Concurrent List so that States could constitutionally legislate on those items, while narcotics/psychotropic substances should remain on the Exclusive List? Yes!

Labor issues, trade unions, industrial relations, conditions, safety/welfare, disputes/minimum wages/ industrial arbitration, should be handled by both States/Federal Governments who should enjoy independent legislation? YES!

Mines and minerals, oil fields and mining, geological surveys and natural gas that are ONSHORE will be vested in all States of the Federation, while all OFF-SHORE OIL shall be vested in the government of the federation? YES!

Registration of Business Names should be on the Concurrent List for companies to choose their areas of operations; State or nationwide? YES!

Collection of Stamp Duties should be moved to the Concurrent List, for the States to collect duties from individual and small businesses while Federal Government collects Stamp Duties from Limited Liabilities Companies? YES!

Issue of Citizenship, Local Government or State of Origin, which had hitherto been discriminatory, "should be replaced with State of Residence", through a proposed amendment to the Federal Character Commission Act to allow people domicile in a place to be considered as INDIGENES of such place? YES!”

LET US UNITE AND SAVE NIGERIA ONCE AND FOR ALL FROM 21ST CENTURY NEO-COLONIALISTS! (Psalm.133:1-3).


I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, 08130669886, 08080243066. g-mail-dvdolufon@gmail.