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For allegedly raising its allocation from N67 billion in 2007 to N140 billion in this year's budget, the National Assembly has drawn the ire of the Action Congress (AC) which dubbed the action ‘insensitive.'
For allegedly raising its allocation from N67 billion in 2007 to N140 billion in this year's budget, the National Assembly has drawn the ire of the Action Congress (AC) which dubbed the action ‘insensitive.'
According to the AC, the National Assembly has, through its action, displayed its 'insensitivity to the plight of millions of Nigerians who are living below the poverty line."
The AC also called for an urgent review of the current practice whereby the National Assembly arbitrarily allocates to itself any figure that catches its fancy without going through any budgetary process, saying such is prone to gross abuse.
In a statement issued in Abuja Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said information available to it shows that the bulk of the increased sum will go into paying personal emolument for the lawmakers.
'For instance, today, under the budget the National Assembly has approved for itself, each member of the House of Representatives will now be getting N36 million per quarter or N12 million monthly, while each Senator will be receiving N65 million per quarter or over N20 million per month! Nothing can justify that level of extravagance and Arabian night opulence, in a country where more than 70 per cent of the population live on less than N117 per day,'' the party said.
AC said it would support President Umaru Yar'Adua if it is true that he intends to withhold his assent to the budget on the basis of such a unilateral increase, without any justification other than personal enrichment by the lawmakers.
'What is expected from the true representatives of the people are serious and concerted actions to mitigate the effects of these hard times, not profligate spending and personal aggrandisement by elected representatives of the people.
'If the lawmakers cannot justify the doubling of their allocation, at a time that resources available for the critical social sectors are diminishing, then they should revert to the original allocation of N67 billion and apologise to all Nigerians for their indiscretion,'' the party said.
According to the AC, even the last National Assembly did not go that far in raising its allocation, even when the last (2007) budget factored in the fact that it was coming ahead of an election year.