Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has challenged state governors to disclose how much they collect as security votes and how they have utilised monthly allocations for local government councils. Dogara said the leadership of the National Assembly on its part has directed its bureaucracy to publish what members collect in order to put to rest the allegation that lawmakers’ take home has been hidden from the public.
The Speaker specifically, challenged the governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-rufai to extend his campaign for transparency in the budget of the National Assembly to other arms of government including how governors spend their security votes. Speaking at the closing ceremony of a retreat for management of the National Assembly in Kaduna on Friday, Dogara, also challenged the governors, in the spirit of accountability and transparency to publish how they utilise funds allocated to local governments.
The Speaker who was reacting to an earlier comment made by Governor El-rufai where he urged the legislature to make its budget public, disclosed that already, the bureaucracy has been directed to publish the National Assembly budget beginning from 2017. He said, “I will like to challenge him (El-rufai) to champion this cause for transparency in the budgetary process from the National Assembly to other arms of government beginning from the judiciary. “We want to see clearly how Chief Executives of States are paid, what do they spend monthly as security votes.
And if they can publish what happens to local government funds under their juris-dictions, that will help our discussion going forward.” Dogara who acknow-ledged the challenges faced by the management of the federal legislature, stated that the National Assembly was the most misunderstood institution, adding that no parliament in the world including Nigeria’s parliament can win popularity contest.
He said, “When, for instance, public discussions on funding of the legislature are being made, the entire bureaucracy is often completely discounte-nanced, neither is any consideration given to the fact that this is a special bureaucracy saddled with a multitude of ‘masters’ who must be equally served in addition to service to the nation.”
(Vanguard )
