Nigeria's former President, Olusegun Obasanjo who ruled the country
between 1999 and 2007, has written the National Assembly accusing the
lawmakers of corruption, impunity, greed and of repeatedly breaking the
nation’s laws.
The letter exclusively obtained by Premium Times was dated January
16th and addressed to the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki and the
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, the former
president specifically accused the lawmakers of fixing and earning
salaries and allowances far above what the Revenue Mobilisation
Allocation and Fiscal Commission approved for them.
He also alleged that most of the 109 senators and 369 members of
the House of Representatives were receiving constituency allowances
without maintaining constituency offices as the laws required of them.
The former president argued that the purpose of election into the
Legislative Assembly particularly at the national level was to give
service to the nation and not for the personal service and interest of
members at the expense of the nation which seemed to have been the
mentality, psychology, mindset and practice within the National Assembly
since the beginning of this present democratic dispensation.
He asked pointedly, 'Where is patriotism? Where is commitment? Where is service?'
Below is Obasanjo’s letter in full:
January 13, 2016,
Distinguished Senator Bukola Saraki,
President of the Senate,
Federal Republic of Nigeria,
Senate Chambers,
Abuja.
Honourable Yakubu Dogara,
Speaker, House of Representatives,
National Assembly Complex,
Abuja.
It is appropriate to begin this letter, which I am sending to all
members of the Senate and the House of Representatives through both of
you at this auspicious and critical time, with wishes of Happy New Year
to you all.
On a few occasions in the past, both in and out of office as the
President of Nigeria, I have agonised on certain issues within the arms
of government at the national level and among the tiers of government as
well. Not least, I have reflected and expressed, outspokenly at times,
my views on the practice in the National Assembly which detracts from
distinguishness and honourability because it is shrouded in opaqueness
and absolute lack of transparency and could not be regarded as normal,
good and decent practice in a democracy that is supposed to be
exemplary. I am, of course, referring to the issue of budgets and
finances of the National Assembly.
The present economic situation that the country has found itself in
is the climax of the steady erosion of good financial and economic
management which grew from bad to worse in the last six years or so. The
executive and the legislative arms of government must accept and share
responsibility in this regard. And if there will be a redress of the
situation as early as possible, the two arms must also bear the
responsibility proportionally. The two arms ran the affairs of the
country unmindful of the rainy day. The rainy day is now here. It would
not work that the two arms should stand side by side with one arm
pulling and without the support of the other one for good and efficient
management of the economy.
The purpose of election into the Legislative Assembly particularly
at the national level is to give service to the nation and not for the
personal service and interest of members at the expense of the nation
which seemed to have been the mentality, psychology, mindset and
practice within the National Assembly since the beginning of this
present democratic dispensation. Where is patriotism? Where is
commitment? Where is service?
The beginning of good governance which is the responsibility of all
arms and all the tiers of government is openness and transparency. It
does not matter what else we try to do, as long as one arm of government
shrouds its financial administration and management in opaqueness and
practices rife with corruption, only very little, if anything at all,
can be achieved in putting Nigeria on the path of sustainable and
enduring democratic system, development and progress. Governance without
transparency will be a mockery of democracy.
Let us be more direct and specific so that action can be taken
where it is urgently necessary. A situation where our national budget
was predicated on $38 per barrel of oil with estimated 2 million barrels
per day and before the budget was presented, the price of oil had gone
down to $34 per barrel and now hovering around $30 and we have no
assurance of producing 2 million barrels and if we can, we have no
assurance of finding market for it, definitely calls for caution. If
production and price projected in the budget stand, we would have to
borrow almost one third of the 6 trillion naira budget. Now beginning
with the reality of the budget, there is need for sober reflection and
sacrifice with innovation at the level of executive and legislative arms
of government. The soberness, the sacrifice and seriousness must be
patient and apparent.
It must not be seen and said that those who, as leaders, call for
sacrifice from the citizenry are living in obscene opulence. It will not
only be insensitive but callously so. It would seem that it is becoming
a culture that election into the legislative arm of government at the
national level in particular is a licence for financial misconduct and
that should not be. The National Assembly now has a unique opportunity
of presenting a new image of itself. It will help to strengthen, deepen,
widen and sustain our democracy.
By our Constitution, the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and
Fiscal Commission is charged with the responsibility of fixing
emoluments of the three arms of government: executive, legislature and
judiciary. The Commission did its job but by different disingenuous ways
and devices, the legislature had overturned the recommendation of the
Commission and hiked up for themselves that which they are unwilling to
spell out in detail, though they would want to defend it by force of arm
if necessary. What is that?
Mr. President of the Senate and Hon. Speaker of the House, you know
that your emolument which the Commission had recommended for you takes
care of all your legitimate requirements: basic salary, car, housing,
staff, constituency allowance. Although the constituency allowance is
paid to all members of the National Assembly, many of them have no
constituency offices which the allowance is partly meant to cater for.
And yet other allowances and payments have been added by the National
Assembly for the National Assembly members’ emoluments. Surely, strictly
speaking, it is unconstitutional.
There is no valid argument for this except to see it for what it is
– law-breaking and impunity by lawmakers. The lawmakers can return to
the path of honour, distinguishness, sensitivity and responsibility. The
National Assembly should have the courage to publish its recurrent
budgets for the years 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015. That is what
transparency demands. With the number of legislators not changing,
comparison can be made. Comparisons in emoluments can also be made with
countries like Ghana, Kenya, Senegal and even Malaysia and Indonesia who
are richer and more developed than we are.
The budget is a proposal and only an estimate of income and
expenditure. Where income is inadequate, expenditure will not be made.
While in government, I was threatened with impeachment by the members of
the National Assembly for not releasing some money they had
appropriated for themselves which were odious and for which there were
no incomes to support. The recent issue of cars for legislators would
fall into the same category.
Whatever name it is disguised as, it is unnecessary and
insensitive. A pool of a few cars for each Chamber will suffice for any
Committee Chairman or members for any specific duty. The waste that has
gone into cars, furniture, housing renovation in the past was
mind-boggling and these were veritable sources of waste and corruption.
That was why they were abolished. Bringing them back is inimical to the
interest of Nigeria and Nigerians.
The way of proposing budget should be for the executive to discuss
every detail of the budget, in preparation, with different Committees
and sub-Committees of the National Assembly and the National Assembly to
discuss its budget with the Ministry of Finance. Then, the budget
should be brought together as consolidated budget and formally presented
to the National Assembly, to be deliberated and debated upon and passed
into law. It would then be implemented as revenues are available. Where
budget proposals are extremely ambitious like the current budget and
revenue sources are so uncertain, more borrowing may have to be embarked
upon, almost up to 50% of the budget or the budget may be grossly
unimplementable and unimplemented.
Neither is a choice as both are bad. Management of the economy is
one of the key responsibilities of the President as prescribed in the
Constitution. He cannot do so if he does not have his hands on the
budget. Management of the economy is shared responsibility where the
Presidency has the lion share of the responsibility. But if the National
Assembly becomes a cog in the wheel, the executive efforts will not
yield much reward or progress. The two have to work synchronisingly
together to provide the impetus and the conducive environment for the
private sector to play its active vanguard role. Management of the
budget is the first step to manage the economy. It will be interesting
if the National Assembly will be honourable enough and begin the process
of transparency, responsibility and realism by publishing its recurrent
budgets for 2016 as it should normally be done.
Hopefully, the National Assembly will take a step back and do what
is right not only in making its own budget transparent but in all
matters of financial administration and management including audit of
its accounts by external outside auditor from 1999 to date. This, if it
is done, will bring a new dawn to democracy in Nigeria and a new and
better image for the National Assembly and it will surely avoid the
Presidency and the National Assembly going into face-off all the time on
budgets and financial matters.
While I thank you for your patience and understanding, please
accept, Dear Senate President and Honourable Speaker of the House, the
assurances of my highest consideration.
OLUSEGUN OBASANJO
No comments:
Post a Comment