The National Assembly in Nigeria has manifested itself as a house of horror, because it has never really stood on the side of the commoners, whose blood are being sucked to death systematically by characters who simply fit the profile political vampires. It is stark horror and violence being dished out to the masses as the rich continue to be stupendously richer by every hook and crook, while the poor get poorer. When a few opportunists decided to eat alone voraciously, the collective resources meant for all, through every available means, including budget padding, what we have on our hands is beyond horror. It is absolutely distasteful and incredibly unfortunate, given the fact that Nigerian lawmakers are the most remunerated of all parliamentarians in the whole planet.
The recent scandalous 2016 budget padding, allegedly perfected by some members of the Nigeria’s Federal House of Representatives is one of too many allegations of improprieties against public office holders in the nation’s checkered political history.
For goodness sake, how long shall the pauperized and abandoned masses of Nigeria continue to be entertained by gory details of financial manipulations, geared towards enriching some privileged so-called honorable members of the nation’s National Assembly?
As at today, the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki is still being investigated by the authorities and tried by the nation’s Code of Conduct Tribunal for alleged false declaration of his personal assets when he was governor of Kwara State.
The hue and cry about the forgery of the House Rules that allegedly enabled Senator Ike Ekweremadu and company to emerge as principal officers of the present Senate have not completely died down.
Now, what is presently burning negatively at the National Assembly is the issue of some lawmakers’ alleged tampering with some of the financial budgetary contents/ allocations contained in the 2016 budget, which has been signed into law.
We have not forgotten the ugly drama that was played out between the parliamentarians at the National Assembly and the Executive arm of government, concerning this same budget 2016, a ridiculous situation where the original document tendered by the Presidency was said be ‘missing.’
Yes! When the missing budget finally reappeared and was passed on to President Muhammadu Buhari to accent his signature, he simply refused to sign the document, alleging hanky-panky on the part of the lawmakers.
Now, Hon Abdumunimi Jubrin, former Chairman of the powerful and influential House Committee on Appropriation who was recently sidelined by the Speaker of the House, Hon Yakubu Dogara in the reshuffling of House Standing Committees has opened a can of worms.
Whatever personal reasons that made Speaker Dogara to drop Hon Jubrin is inconsequential here, the point crucial in this matter is that the anus of the mother fowl has been blown open for poverty-stricken Nigerians to know what some of their elected and hitherto trusted representatives are capable of displaying against them.
Hon Jubrin has alleged that Yakubu Dogara and others secretly doctored some aspects of 2016 budget to suit their personal insatiable interest; one of which is that the Speaker allegedly ensured that his personal farm in his senatorial district is captured and adequately allocated funds (for a water project) meant for other developmental purposes across the country.
May be some members of the nation’s National Assembly are under a ‘curse’. A curse to want to deceive or play on the collective intelligence of the masses in one way or the other?
If they are not under a spell or curse to acquire and amass stupendous wealth to the absolute detriment of the electorate that gave them their mandate, why would they condescend so low to engage in budget padding?
Since June 1999 when the current National Assembly was inaugurated this is the first time the issue of budget padding is being brought to the fore. That is to say that this satanic practice has been going on secretly and cruelly without public knowledge for a long time.
This is certainly a wicked conspiracy, a devastating crime against the voters in Nigeria and a reprehensible one for that matter. Honestly speaking, these guys must be mean, insensitive and insane to have been engaged in this kind of crime against the electorate.
If not for the spirit of change, hovering around the Three Arms Zone in Aso Rock arena in Abuja, budget padding may never have been discovered in Nigeria.
Probably if we demand for details of previous budgets before now, several paddings would be discovered against former principal officers of the National Assembly.
If not for the war against corruption that has been prioritized by the Buhari presidency, nobody would have known or heard anything about Dasukigate (Arm Deal scandal), where a chunk of our Commonwealth was brazenly stolen and put in private pockets, soak-away pits and private farms of public enemies of Nigeria.
The National Assembly in Nigeria has manifested itself as a house of horror, because it has never really stood on the side of the commoners, whose blood are being sucked to death systematically by characters who simply fit the profile political vampires.
It is stark horror and violence being dished out to the masses as the rich continue to be stupendously richer by every hook and crook, while the poor get poorer.
When a few opportunists decided to eat alone voraciously, the collective resources meant for all, through every available means, including budget padding, what we have on our hands is beyond horror.
It is absolutely distasteful and incredibly unfortunate, given the fact that Nigerian lawmakers are the most remunerated of all parliamentarians in the whole planet.
Speaker Yakubu Dogara and his foot soldiers may never be prosecuted; that has been the tragic practice in the Nigerian National Assembly since 1999, as everything will be done by the same House to cover its own dirty financial and shameful attitudinal tracks.
But, the Presidency must take the budget padding mess as a frontal challenge to purge this National Assembly once and for all. It is only through this way that the current war against corruption will have true meanings.
Also, the Nigerian masses, including the civil society organizations and other pressure groups must hold public officers accountable for their stewardship to society.
The time of aloofness and indifference on the part of the masses should be seen as a thing of the past and they must rise up by speaking and engaging in peaceful protest and recall against the bastards among the lawmakers and other public officers whose nefarious activities have continued to impact negatively on the lives of the people.
For a jaundiced character like ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo to have mounted a personal campaign against the lawmakers for their greedy and insensitive approach to issues shows really that this present National Assembly must be kept on its toes in any way necessary by relevant authorities and stakeholders in the land. Certainly, things cannot and should never continue as usual in the National Assembly.- Alltimepost.com editorial
