ZION B-BC NEWSLETTER. [A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria.] {VOL 4. NO 105.16th august, 2015.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You Free! (John.8:32). NIGERIAN LEGISLATORS HAVE NO RIGHT TO DICTATE THEIR SALARIES!
Within his short span of administration, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua of Nigeria displayed an exemplary character as a prudent manager of the nation’s fiscal economic resources and also exhibited a masses-oriented socialist mien when: First, he slashed legislators jumbo salaries and allowances by 20% and, Second, returned unspent revenue allocation to Ministries, Departments and Agencies, (MDAs), to the Federation Account, at the end of each budget year. But it is sad to observe that the legacy he left behind was thrown to the dogs by his subordinate and eventual successor who not only displayed an unprecedented prodigality but also defended the doctrine of corruption with impunity among public office holders and elected politicians who should have been faithful custodians of the common wealth!
The excessive love of money which spotlighted the legislators of that administration as exceedingly richer than most world presidents, including Barack Obama of the United States was the evident endemic corruption plaguing the polity of most developing economies of the third world! The year 2009 statistics of federal legislators emoluments revealed that they were the highest paid public servants in the world because a total of N102.8 billion, (5% of the country’s annual budget), comprising of N11.8billion as salaries and N90.96billion as allowances, was spent on 469 Nigerians; 109 Senators and 360 House of Representatives members! In the United States of America (USA), where minimum wage was USD$1.257, (N191.667), a US law maker earned USD$15,080 (N2.3million), per month while his Nigerian senator counterpart earned N29.472.749.00million totalling an annual haul of N182million, in a country where minimum wage is a paltry N18.000 and which many State Governments still owed up to seven months payment of arrears to workers!
It was revealed that Nigerian Senators got more money from their numerous allowances than from their annual basic salaries. The allowances include but not limited to the following: Hardship allowance, 50% of basic salary, (BS); Constituency, 200% of BS; Furniture, 300% of BS; Newspapers, 50% of BS; Wardrobe, 25% of BS; Recess, 10% of BS; Accommodation, 200% of BS; Utilities, 30% of BS; Domestic Staff, 35% of BS; Entertainment, 30% of BS; Personal Assistant, 25% of BS; Vehicle maintenance, 75% of BS; Leave allowance, 10% of BS; Severance Gratuity, 300% of BS; paid once in four years and, Motor Vehicle allowance, 400% of BS, also paid once in four years!
The United States of America is regarded as the most developed and technologically-advanced economy of the world, yet President Obama’s annual salary of USD$400.000, (N64.156.0million), including a USD$50.000 expense allowance, which makes him the highest paid public servant in his country, is all encompassing and attracted no further icing and USD$350.000 of it is taxable whereas a Nigerian Senator according to that statistics earned at least eight times more than his US counterpart annually and more than three times the US President! In spite of the hues and cries of concerned Nigerians over the outrageous and mind-boggling salaries and allowances of these very few but “privileged” law makers which was slightly reduced in the 6th National Assembly (NASS), the present crop of legislators have met behind closed doors and are determined not to slash their present emoluments even by one kobo notwithstanding the fact that both President Muhammadu Buhari and his Vice, ‘Yemi Oshibajo, have consented to reduce their salaries and allowances by 50%! Why would legislators lock doors to determine their take-home pays when it is not their prerogative nor within their purview of duty to fix them in the first place? “Greed of the mixed multitude”! CAN A LEOPARD CHANGE ITS SKIN? NO! We must not forget that the present crop of legislators were the same re-cycled politicians who have become professional in the art of politics. They are not Statesmen because they refused to either build strong institutions out of the system neither have they also built themselves into veritable institutions that could stand the test of time as icons and reference figures in the society! They passed through classrooms of political offices without making impact or indelible marks or prints in the sands of time. They have only one ambition; and that is to make lots of unconstitutional money which they hoped would assuage their livelihood as they advanced in age. We have watched their political gimmicks for years as they transited from one corridor of power to the other; from khaki uniforms to civilian “baban riga” (large-flowing mantle), from various professional fields to politics, from government house to the red chamber and vice-versa; from the executive to the legislature and vice-versa and from green to upper chamber; and from all or any of the above, with or without the tacit contribution of the electorate, because most moves were done through “pecuniary bargaining” and all parties smiled to their banks and desired destinations without any hassles!
With those kinds of portfolios, pedigrees and antecedents, these legislators have no right to milk anybody at all but to be shown the exit RECALL door by the electorate of their respective constituencies and districts if they refused to repent and change into the new order of righteous governance! The authentic salaries and allowances figures quoted earlier were neither designed to castigate the Legislators nor to goad the good citizens to any unconstitutional behaviour but to checkmate the situation and bring down the phantom emoluments to present day realities. It is now very imperative that all politicians be cut to size in respect of their pay packets which should be aligned with those in the Civil Service Cadre in the ongoing review being carried out by RMAFC Chairman and his management team to rectify the precarious situation in which representatives of the anointed custodians of the SOVEREIGNTY suddenly became masters in a fresh and sane Republic which should observe the letters and principles of the Rule of Law with much candour!
One ranking legislator in the green chamber said that NASS budget was only a fraction of 2.67% (N150billion), of the national overall estimate and would be shared with other organs including the Assembly’s Civil Servants, technocrats and NASS Commission.
Even at that, the percentage which falls within the ambit of concurrent appropriation had created a big gash when juxtaposed with whatever remained of the 2015 deficit budget! It was high time that citizens fulfilled their constitutional roles in determining salaries of all categories of public officers in conjunction with RMAFC guidelines. From 2009 when NASS collected 5% of national fiscal appropriation, population was about 150 million people and now that it is pegged at 2.67%, the figures are close to 200 million which means that legislators emoluments were still on the highest side and very unrealistic, considering the dwindling national economy! Every adult Nigerian has a say on who milks who or what and how the dividends from the dairy should be utilized and shared without animosity or rancour!
In less than two-and-a-half months of investiture, these legislators had gone on THREE RECESSES of about six weeks and are presently on another SIX WEEKS of recess, all of which period of absence from duty, would be paid for from the tax-payers money! It is very clear that the wrangling and commotions which greeted the inauguration and the appointments of principal officers and which led to consecutive recesses, were predicated on who got the “juicy” positions which attracted much money! Did you know that Senate of the 6th NASS allocated N1.02billion as quarterly allowances to its 10 Principal Officers and each cashed N78 million per quarter or N26million cheques per month as members of the elite Senate Leadership! All of these annoying figures which are in the public domain are still shrouded in mystery because the lawmakers kept denying the figures while their extravagant and opulent lifestyles kept exposing acquisition of unconstitutional incomes! It is an open secret that NASS Legislators had in the past collected large sums of money as Constituency Allowances but the new RMAFC Board has warned that any monies collected by public officials outside of the approved list were illegal and that NASS Chief Accounting Officer should be held responsible!
Why was the Senate Rules forged and Honourable members of the House of Representatives engage in fist cuffs to appoint the present crop of principal officers? MONEY, MUCH MONEY! Before the close of the 7th NASS, Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP), a concerned Non- Governmental Organisation (NGO), made up of lawyers got a landmark judgement from an Abuja High Court in February 2015, which ordered NASS Clerk to submit all budgetary allocations to legislators for Constituency Allowance Projects between 2011 and2013 to the NGO which petitioned the court for details of the highly secretive constituency allowances through Section 2 (1) of the Freedom of Information (FOI), Act which required all Public Institutions to give the right to access STORED INFORMATION of such institutions to any person upon request and if denied could petition the court; but the Clerk is yet to comply since he appealed the judgement!
The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), had met with Senate leadership and had made it very clear that the Commission was the only constitutionally approved and delegated authority saddled with the determination of the emoluments of all Nigerian public servants, beginning with Mr. President, according to all indices of economic realities.
The new RMAFC derives its powers and constitutional functions from Paragraph 32 of Part I of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and is vested with powers to: Monitor the accruals into and disbursement of revenue from the Federation Account. Review from time to time the revenue allocation formulae and principles in operation to ensure conformity with changing realities Ensure that any accepted revenue formula backed by NASS Act remained in force for at least FIVE years. Advise the Federal, State, and Local Governments on fiscal efficiency and methods by which their revenue was to be increased. Determine the remuneration appropriate to Political Office holders, including the President, Vice President, Governors, Deputy Governors, Ministers, Commissioners, Special Advisers, Legislators and the holders of the offices mentioned in Sections 84 and 124 of the Constitution and such other functions as are conferred on the Commission by the Constitution or any Act of NASS.
RMAFC is an autonomous body and is not subject to the direction or control of any authority or person in the exercise of its power to make appointments or to exercise disciplinary control over persons. Unlike what obtained in the past where Ad -hoc Committees and Commissions were set up to review the fiscal arrangements in the country, RMAFC is now the only and permanent institution to handle all matters relating to remunerations in the polity. For all we care, the legislators may spend their entire SIX WEEKS recess which began on Friday, 14th August, 2015, behind closed doors to formulate new salaries and allowances, the move will come to nothing when they resume plenary because their base and foundation are cast on SINKING SAND!
The unambiguous Police Report on the forged Senate Rules which has been forwarded to both Mr. President and Office of the Attorney General of the Federation should receive judicious attention which must further establish the Rule of Law in the new dispensation of CHANGE from the old order of impunity to a new order of total obedience to established extant laws, rules and regulations!
Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord. [For weekly access, to this newsletter, log on to: facebook.com/zionfaithbible.believingchurch or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com, https://www.google.com/+zionfaithbiblebelievingchurch .
If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen.
If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations.
I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor.08130669886, 08098194390.g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com
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