Last week I showed that the parliamentary system is better for the country than the presidential one we now operate because several billions are required to contest elections. Because presidential candidates have to campaign and are voted for by people throughout the country while the contestants for governorship polls are chosen by the electorate throughout a state and that this is largely why corruption is rife under the system as those who win elections have to recoup what they spent. Whereas in the parliamentary system they are elected into the legislature by voters in a few wards in a local government and won’t have to spend more than a few million naira.
Today, I am drawing attention to the several trillions of naira spent annually in running the National and 36 State Assemblies which make it impossible to have money to fast track the development of the country and another reason why it is better to change to the parliamentary system. In his Leadership Series column in the Saturday Sun three weeks ago, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, the Governor of Abia State from Saturday, May 29, 1999 – Monday, May 28, 2007 revealed that the National Assembly website showed that one hundred and fifty billion naira (N150 billion) was spent in 2011 alone in running the 109 – member Senate and 360 – strong House of Representatives by way of salaries, allowances and other statutory expenses. Add what had been spent in running the Assemblies in the 36 states in the country to those of the National Assembly in the seventeen years of civil rule and you are talking of zillions of naira.
According to press reports penultimate Monday, September 5, figures released by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission show that the annual salary of the Senate President is two million four hundred and eighty thousand naira (N2, 480, 000) while a Senator earns two million two hundred thousand naira (N2, 200, 000). The Speaker of the House of Representatives goes home with two million four hundred and seventy thousand naira (N2, 470, 000) and each member one million nine hundred and eighty thousand naira (N1, 980, 000).
For allowances each member in the 469 – strong National Assembly receives 200 percent of the annual salary for accommodation, 5 percent for house maintenance, 75 percent for vehicle maintenance, 25 percent for Personal Assistants (PAs), 75 percent for domestic staff, 30 percent for entertainment and utilities, 25 percent for wardrobe, 15 percent for newspapers and 10 percent for responsibility.
For constituency allowance each Senator receives 250 percent of the annual salary while each Representative gets 100 percent. And once in four years each member of the National Assembly is given furniture allowance and severance gratuity. While they have Estacode allowance in United States dollars for any official trip abroad and duty tour allowance in naira for journeys within the country.
The nation is made to spend scandalous amounts on the legislators in both the National and State Assemblies because they are regarded in the presidential system as full – time parliamentarians who have offices and carry out duties in their constituencies. Even though they do not sit for more than six to eight months in a year and the oversight duties they perform are jobs for government officials in such ministries as works, housing, health, agriculture, education etc.
To be continued next Wednesday
The 4 major tribes & Nigeria’s problem
Early in 1964, Chief Remi Fani-Kayode, the leader of the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC) in the Western Regional House of Assembly left the party with many of the members to team up with the United Peoples Party (UPP) led by Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola, the Premier of the Region to form the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP). As a result, the NCNC became the number three party in the Western House of Assembly after the ruling NNDP and the Action Group (AG) led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
Before the end of 1964 the NNDP teamed up with the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC), the ruling party at the federal level and in the Northern Region to form the Nigerian National Alliance (NNA). In the circumstance, the Igbo – dominated NCNC had no choice but to work with the Yoruba dominated AG. They came up with the United Progressives Grand Alliance (UPGA). But the NCNC did not withdraw its ministers from the NPC – dominated Federal Government. That was the situation until the army coup of Saturday, January 15, 1966.
On the return to civil rule 13 years later, in 1979, there were three major political parties. The National Party of Nigeria (NPN) dominated by northerners, the Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP), dominated by the Igbo and the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) dominated by the Yoruba. If the NPP had chosen to work with the UPN they would have formed the Federal Government and produced the ministers. But in spite of their UPGA partnership in the 1960s it was the NPN dominated by northerners that the Igbo – dominated NPP chose to work with.
Continues next week.