17th June, 2015
Nigerians are not happy about reports that members of the National Assembly would receive a wardrobe allowance of about N9 billion ($45m) over the course of the four-year term. Many have taken to social media platform, Twitter, to express their disappointment and disgust at the huge sum of money allegedly earmarked for clothing by the Red and Green Chambers. Some have even questioned the ‘Change’ widely preached by President Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC.
A breakdown of the allocation shows that each of the 109 senators would collect N21.5 million, while each of the 360 House of Representatives members would collect N17.5 million. Although the Buhari administration may not be responsible for this huge allocation, we expect that he should intervene on this issue which smacks of hypocrisy on the part of the majority of the lawmakers who promised Nigerians change to get their votes on 28 March this year.
If the lawmakers are not selfish and insensitive, why can’t they reject this profligate lifestyle foisted on them by their predecessors? Many Nigerians have asked on social media whether the lawmakers were naked when they arrived the National Assembly to be given such allowance for clothing in just four years.
Coming at a time about eighteen states are bankrupt and cannot pay salaries of civil servants for several months, paying this huge amount to lawmakers as wardrobe allowance for four years is an abuse of privilege, to say the least.
We believe the immediate priority of the eighth National Assembly should be to help the Buhari administration fight corruption in all its ramifications and turn around our comatose economy rather than think about their comfort when Nigerians are groaning in poverty and lack.
We expect other lawmakers to join Senator Dino Melaye to condemn the idea and insist on pay cut in the chambers. Melaye has been clamouring for a slash in the huge allowances collected by federal legislators. The silence of his colleagues suggests that they are not ready to buy the idea.
Yes, lawmakers can’t be talking about change and earning this kind of money in this country when people are hungry. They must be ready to make sacrifices and demonstrate that readiness by allowing their salaries and allowances to be slashed drastically.
Some state governors such as Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna are already making such sacrifices and even cutting down the number of ministries to save money for capital expenditure. This should be replicated at the National Assembly if not the change mantra of the APC would just be a mere slogan that won’t do Nigerians any good. Since APC members dominate the National Assembly, the burden is on them to lead the change that Nigerians earnestly desire.