The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said it acknowledged the
sensitivity of the Eighth National Assembly (NASS) under the leadership
of Senate President Bukola Saraki in reducing the annual budget from
N150 billion to N120 billion which is generating national concern.
However, the NLC described the reduction as not far-reaching enough. It called for its reversion to the 2003 budget of N50 billion, saying the Assembly membership has not changed.
Addressing a press conference in Kaduna yesterday, the Deputy President of NLC, Comrade Issa Aremu, who is also the General Secretary of textile workers union, said the reported reduction of the budget by 20% is too token.
The NLC said the National Assembly members should appreciate the mood of the nation for leadership sacrifices, resource allocation for national development and common good as opposed to self-helps.
It queried that “should 109 senators and 360 members of the House of Representatives gulp as much as N120 billion in a year which is twice the 2015 budget of Ekiti State of N80.774 billion, a state with the population of 2,384,212 people. How equitable is it for less than 500 national legislators to spend N120 billions annually when Osun State with population of 3,423,535 people and unfunded 2015 Appropriation Bill of N201 billion is yet to pay salaries for seven months? Benue State has as many as 4,219,244 people, it budgeted N98.54 billion; Zamfara has 3,259,846 citizens and budgeted N92.80 billion; and Ebonyi budgeted N80.02 billion for 2,173,501 people.
“The total budgets of these three states are half of the National Assembly’s. How equitable is that?
“There has been illegal and unconstitutional concentration of scarce national resources in the hands of our legislators and executive office holders alike that must be reversed now. For instance, Kano State budgeted N210 billion in 2015. It has 9,383,682 people. The budget per capital of Kano, estimated at N22,379 is miserable compared to the budget per capital of the National Assembly at N293,398,533! No country can prosper with this wide and widening gap in resource allocation between the governed and some elected government officials.
“The National Assembly members should take the advantage of the current goodwill of Nigerians in making an amend, failing which they would provoke mass revolt of the people.”
“The Eighth National Assembly must make a difference. It should be accountable to Nigerian people, just as many executives have done.
“The Eighth Assembly must compliment President Muhammadu Buhari in his resolve to cut cost of governance fueled by corruption, the worse form of which is outrageous pay for public office holders.
“They must emulate governors like Mallam Nasir El Rufai of Kaduna State and his deputy who have cut their salaries by 50 per cent and urged the members of House of Assembly to follow suit. New Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje also reduced the salaries and allowances of public office holders by 50 per cent,” Comrade Aremu said.
Copyright: Sun Newspapers
However, the NLC described the reduction as not far-reaching enough. It called for its reversion to the 2003 budget of N50 billion, saying the Assembly membership has not changed.
Addressing a press conference in Kaduna yesterday, the Deputy President of NLC, Comrade Issa Aremu, who is also the General Secretary of textile workers union, said the reported reduction of the budget by 20% is too token.
The NLC said the National Assembly members should appreciate the mood of the nation for leadership sacrifices, resource allocation for national development and common good as opposed to self-helps.
It queried that “should 109 senators and 360 members of the House of Representatives gulp as much as N120 billion in a year which is twice the 2015 budget of Ekiti State of N80.774 billion, a state with the population of 2,384,212 people. How equitable is it for less than 500 national legislators to spend N120 billions annually when Osun State with population of 3,423,535 people and unfunded 2015 Appropriation Bill of N201 billion is yet to pay salaries for seven months? Benue State has as many as 4,219,244 people, it budgeted N98.54 billion; Zamfara has 3,259,846 citizens and budgeted N92.80 billion; and Ebonyi budgeted N80.02 billion for 2,173,501 people.
“The total budgets of these three states are half of the National Assembly’s. How equitable is that?
“There has been illegal and unconstitutional concentration of scarce national resources in the hands of our legislators and executive office holders alike that must be reversed now. For instance, Kano State budgeted N210 billion in 2015. It has 9,383,682 people. The budget per capital of Kano, estimated at N22,379 is miserable compared to the budget per capital of the National Assembly at N293,398,533! No country can prosper with this wide and widening gap in resource allocation between the governed and some elected government officials.
“The National Assembly members should take the advantage of the current goodwill of Nigerians in making an amend, failing which they would provoke mass revolt of the people.”
“The Eighth National Assembly must make a difference. It should be accountable to Nigerian people, just as many executives have done.
“The Eighth Assembly must compliment President Muhammadu Buhari in his resolve to cut cost of governance fueled by corruption, the worse form of which is outrageous pay for public office holders.
“They must emulate governors like Mallam Nasir El Rufai of Kaduna State and his deputy who have cut their salaries by 50 per cent and urged the members of House of Assembly to follow suit. New Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje also reduced the salaries and allowances of public office holders by 50 per cent,” Comrade Aremu said.
Copyright: Sun Newspapers
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