Leke Baiyewu, Abuja

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has said it is wrong for Nigerians to perceive the National Assembly as being “highly overpaid” for doing little.

He said the lack of trust in the lawmakers had made their critics not to see the enormous work they were doing for the country.

Buhari said this in Abuja on Wednesday when the House of Representatives launched The Green Chamber Magazine, a publication by the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs.


At the event were the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who represented the President; Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, representing President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan; Governor of Katsina State and former Speaker of the House, Bello Masari; Governor of Imo State and former member of the Senate, Hope Uzodinma, among others.

Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila; and Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase, led principal officers and members to the event.

Buhari, speaking through Mohammed, said the parliamentarians did not share money without working.


He said, “Hitherto, the public perception of the National Assembly is that of a bicameral legislature where overly comfortable and highly-overpaid members merely stuff wads of currency notes into their pockets for little work done. This wrong perception has resulted partly from the lack of understanding of the enormous work of lawmakers, especially outside the glare of television cameras.

“But with a magazine that will be the authoritative source of anything that goes on in the House – motions being moved, bills being passed, national issues being discussed and constituency projects – the public will be better informed on the activities of the House, and this will in turn reflect in an improved public perception.


“In addition, it will help the House to tell its own story, rather than relying on others to take charge of their narrative. It is said that no one can tell your story better than you.”

A former Director of Kenya’s Anti-Corruption Commission and Director of the Kenya School of Laws, Prof. Plo Lumumba, who was a keynote speaker at the event, asked if the lawmakers were following the footsteps of Nigeria’s founding fathers who, he said, had a clear vision for the country.


He said, “I read your great founding leaders. I read the works of Nnamdi Azikiwe and I listened to him in those early days. He was as eloquent as he was passionate in telling Nigerians and Africans – because he was called the Zik of Africa – that leadership is about service. This magazine is an occasion for you to demonstrate to Africa that you are servant-leaders.

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“I did not only read about Nnamdi Azikiwe, I also read about Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa in his younger days – eloquent and passionate about Nigeria. You may not have agreed with all that he said and did, but you cannot deny the fact, the clarity of vision and the need for marshalling the people as the only antidote to the problems that have afflicted Nigeria, and by extension Africa.


“Now that you have been given the honour and privilege of serving Nigeria, now that Nigerians and Africans refer to you as honourable members, the question is: are you honourable members or horrible members? The question as to whether you are honourable members is determined by the service that you render to the people.”

In his remarks, Gbajabiamila stated that Nigeria would not have returned to democracy without the role played by the press.

He said, “I can say with absolute confidence, that our democratic settlement could never have been achieved without the noble daring of the press. Those unsung heroes who understood the power of the written word and wielded it in passionate denunciation of the tyranny that sought to consume us all.”

https://punchng.com/its-wrong-to-think-nassembly-members-are-overpaid-buhari/

Okoooo

Its not something GMB cannot say.

His Excellence President Mohammadu Buhari (GCFR) is a daunce!

What enormous work are they doing outside looting and embezzling constituency funds.


May be His Excellence should state-out cartegorically what they do.


Sets of looters

What do they do to deserve that humongous pay and privileges?
Most of them don't attend sessions and the quality of discussions at plenary are very shallow and poor.
To now imagine that they are among the best paid in the world yet Nigeria is among the least in the world is sad.

If they are not overpaid, how come countries with less paying law makers are better than Nigeria?...

Fake news potopotor newspaper

Virtually all I see before election is fading away

30 thousand minimum wage a committee on committee was set up both at federal and state level before some of them start paying

A Senator ends above 300,000 a month aside allawee and corruption induced kickbacks For doing nothing

Yet mr President you see nothing in wastage of about 109 senators + 327 house members wasting millions of dollars year in year out doing nothing


Eg Dino and many more that came to the ( hallow) shallow chamber with less than 10 million naira now a billionaire

Mr President I am disappointed in your utterances , body posture and views

May be they are underpaid then..

chatinent:
And it's right to pay each protruding-belled Senator in hundreds of millions? Shame on you!

Shame on whom Is it buhari that pays them. What about u that voted them in

allthingsgood:


Shame on whom Is it buhari that pays them. What about u that voted them in

Mr President shouldn’t have voiced that out

It’s the wrong thing to do

The house have spokespersons

Since they are his rubber, why won't he support their jumbo pay.

I propose we suspend the NASS for the remainder of Buhari administration since I don't see them disagreeing with Buhari on anything.

sarrki:


Mr President shouldn’t have voiced that out

It’s the wrong thing to do

The house have spokespersons

Is it ur voice

allthingsgood:


Is it ur voice

It seems something is really not ok with you

We voted him

He’s our voice

We have every right to question him

sarrki:


It seems something is really not ok with you

We voted him

He’s our voice

We have every right to question him

Ok if he's your voice why are u blabbing. Your voice has spoken, so shut it!

allthingsgood:


Ok if he's your voice why are u blabbing. Your voice has spoken, so shut it!

I now see that you actually need a rehab

Useless wailer
We love our integrity daddy
4 + 4 + 4
Our daddy can never be wrong

SangoOlukosoOba:
His Excellence President Mohammadu Buhari (GCFR) is a daunce!

What enormous work are they doing outside looting and embezzling constituency funds.


May be His Excellence should state-out cartegorically what they do.


Sets of looters

Hahahaha
Buharists and an ex Buharists
Sarrki you see how u used to sound all crazy
Like the guy you are quoting

sarrki:


I now see that you actually need a rehab

sarrki:


I now see that you actually need a rehab

And u need Yaba left

Bubu supporting corruption in truth!

sarrki:
Virtually all I see before election is fading away

30 thousand minimum wage a committee on committee was set up both at federal and state level before some of them start paying

A Senator ends above 300,000 a month aside allawee and corruption induced kickbacks For doing nothing

Yet mr President you see nothing in wastage of about 109 senators + 327 house members wasting millions of dollars year in year out doing nothing


Eg Dino and many more that came to the ( hallow) shallow chamber with less than 10 million naira now a billionaire

Mr President I am disappointed in your utterances , body posture and views

U are very stupid for been disappointed. Can't u see that Buhari is filled with integrity? How dare u question his opinion? U are an enemy of the state!

to be very honest Mr President is very very correct on this.. Senators earn about 700k and with all pecks and allowance it sums up to about 1.2m a month..

$2000 a month salary $4000 a month with Allowance is pretty decent, however the wicked and indecent thing is payment of office running cost to the senator directly which goes as high as 30 million a month, or allowing Senators nominating contractors for constituency project which the senators contractors are paid in full upfront without them delivering any project

If you think Senators and Governors spend a dime of their Salary or Allowance then you must also believe a police officer from SARS also spends his 50,000 salary.. Truth is Senators use their legislative privileges and committee to collect bribes (Farouk Lawan, and Shehu Sani), Governors collect kick backs from contractors, while police extorts yahooboys and collect bribes and bails

.

Better to remain silent and be thought a
fool than to speak and to remove all
doubt. so this useless good for nothing Abba kyari boy think he actually made sense with these gibberish?

Buhari is bae!

No wonder after threatening fire & brimstone against the budget padding members of his party & govt, all he did was to call Jubrin & warned him to cooperate.Pronto the case died.

The HOR rejected Innoson branded vehicles for Toyota Camry Jeeps while the senate are buying #5+ million jeeps but Nigeria does not have 30k minimum wage to pay workers.What a joke of a nation.

The NASS, just as the presidency is also a cesspool of putrifying corruption.I'm just ashame of this most irresponsible govt Nigeria is unfortunate to have in histroy.

This Buhari is so dumb, I swear

Were they not paid the same thing during the last senate when you accuse them of collecting large sums of money and do nothing. Now your stooge is there, the statement has changed.

Yeye man