Evidently, the National Assembly and its constituency projects constitute a drain pipe. In fact, what Nigeria needs today is a part-time citizen legislature that assembles for a few weeks in a year to approve the budget and pass bills instead of a pack of tax-eating parasites that are underworked and overpaid.
By Hon. Josef Omorotionmwan
Coming at a time when it was inheriting a mismanaged economy and a virtually empty treasury, the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Administration did not need to preach too much to Nigerians to tighten their belts to the last holes.
They quickly adjusted. In the process, Nigerians looked up to leadership by example.
Nigerians applauded President Buhari who in July 2015 turned down an offer of five armored Mercedes Benz S-600 (V 222) cars at an estimated cost of N400 million, maintaining that the ones left behind by his predecessor were enough for him. This is leadership by example.
We expected the National Assembly to follow suit. But with them, it has been another day, another scandal. In spite of the public outcry against the idea, since April 2016, “the Senate has started taking delivery of 108 Toyota Land Cruiser Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV) ordered for members at the cost of N3.8 billion…
There are indications that the Senate purchased the vehicles at double the price of each in the showroom in Nigeria. The Lawmakers bought each for N35.1 million but checks by our reporter indicate that a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV V6 2016 model is sold at N17 million… It would be recalled that the Senators in August 2015 received car loans.” This same scandalous affair is also going on simultaneously in the Green Chamber.
We are not in a hurry to forget the N10 billion controversial wardrobe allowances for members last year. And soon after inauguration in June 2015, each Senator and Representative carted away N18,237,600 and N17,866,912.50 respectively, in housing, vehicle and furniture allowances. These were the known figures for last year, plus other sundry hidden charges. The current year’s figures are not yet available.
This is all happening at a time when there is the sing-song about Nigeria being broke to the extent that today, more than 27 States are unable to pay the pittance called staff salaries. The army of unemployed youths ceaselessly roaming our streets now belongs to the forgotten generation.
The most repugnant of all are the so-called constituency projects; a scheme designed to rip-off the citizenry.
According to the literary theory of our Constitution, the National Assembly as the legislative branch of our national government is to make policy; while the executive branch is to administer or execute the policy.
Any matter on the interpretation of the Constitution and other laws are to be referred to the courts. This is the broad outline of their job descriptions.
At no time did the Constitution intend that the National Assembly should begin to execute the laws it makes. The doctrine of checks and balances was enshrined in our Constitution to ensure that no particular branch of government has too much powers concentrated in its hands because the over-concentration of powers in any branch is an open invitation to tyranny.
The National Assembly soon boxed the Executive branch to a tight corner where, during the annual budgetary process, every legislator is given the opportunity to implant into the document, some flimsy projects, with large budgetary outlays, ostensibly for his constituency.
In adherence to the basic principles of the separation of powers, the best anyone can say is that these are Federal Government projects executed through the National Assembly members.
The Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo pointed to the cynicism in the political attitude that sees accountability in terms of the amenities that a legislator provides instead of the quality of his legislations.
Osibanjo opines that legislators would help in constituency projects, not as executors but as evangelists. The legislator’s role here is to persuade the executive to include projects in his constituency.
The more Namdas Abdulrazak, Chairman, House Committee on Media and Publicity struggled to justify the constituency projects, the more confused he left his audience.
He sees the constituency project as a balancing act. For him, Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution, which talks of federal character, is the root of the constituency projects.
Hear him: “The chronic failure of the Executive to ensure even distribution of projects across the 36 States, 774 LGAs and indeed in all the electoral Wards gave birth to the idea of Constituency Projects… How do you expect the lawmaker to vote and approve an over 1000-page budget document running into trillions of Naira that has no single project for his constituency?”
Abdulrazak takes a myopic view of the budget and jumps to the conclusion that in the public works sector, “the Minister allocated N89 billion to his home region while the North-East got a paltry N10 billion… A Minister takes N89 billion to his region and turns around to attack N100 billion meant for constituencies nationwide”.
While Abdulrazak looks at the public works sector in isolation, he is perhaps oblivious of the fact that there are 1000 experts elsewhere who are paid to take a holistic view of the budget.
Those are the people who will know, for instance, that the allocations to Sokoto-Rima Basin Authority and Anambra River Basin Authority may not be exactly the same.
Going by Abdulrazak’s example, we search but in vain, for how the constituency projects would confer any advantage on the North-East over the South-West when constituency projects are spread to all constituencies across the country.
His vague reference to Section 14(3) of the Constitution lays bare the absurdity in the constituency projects. The said Section 14(3) deals strictly with the distribution of available positions.
Would the National Assembly, because of perceived lopsidedness in the appointment of Federal Permanent Secretaries, go ahead to appoint “constituency permanent secretaries” so that each member would have a Federal Permanent Secretary? That’s exactly what they are doing with the constituency projects.
Evidently, the National Assembly and its constituency projects constitute a drain pipe. In fact, what Nigeria needs today is a part-time citizen legislature that assembles for a few weeks in a year to approve the budget and pass bills instead of a pack of tax-eating parasites that are underworked and overpaid.
Hon. Josef Omorotionmwan is a public affairs analyst and Chairman, Board of Directors, Edo Broadcasting Service. He can be reached at: joligien@yahoo.com
