A couple of years ago, it was a few days to the end of the yearly Ramadan fast, I visited the residence of a senator, who had come home to commission some of his constituency projects. I went to invite him to honour us with his presence at an outreach seminar to educate the general public on the health benefits of teeth brushing before going to bed. Upon getting there, I was asked by one of the senator’s assistants to pick a number (mine was supposed to be 427) so they could call on me when it is my turn. I smiled and asked whether they knew the reason why I was there to see the lawmaker. However, the assistants weren’t ready to listen to me until I showed them my identity card and a few things. Only then was i finally allowed to go in and see the distinguished senator.
After some enquiries I later discovered that those 426 people I met that day were there either to collect their Ramadan/Sallah gifts, or to seek one form of financial help or the other or collect their share of the national cake, the senator’s assistants had thought I also came for the same reason, and insisted that I should follow the procedure by picking the next available number. This is the reality of getting elected into a political office in Nigeria: people always expect you to come home and share money. I was told that until the senator leaves for Abuja, the people would continue ‘flooding’ his residence daily.
Recently, there has been an exaggerated media hype concerning the report on the jumbo allowances paid to the senators and members of the House of Representatives. Although the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, which is in charge of fixing remunerations of the public office holders. The Nigerian legislature have constantly came under intense criticism and according to the online media, some of the allowances the Nigerian legislators are entitled to include: personal assistant allowance (25% of basic salary), recess allowance (10% of basic salary), motor vehicle loan (250% of basic salary) and others like furniture allowance, newspaper allowance, etc.
It is really no longer news that most of these allowances have been there since our return to democracy in 1999. What is, however, new are the general condemnation and criticism coming from Nigerians as if they were not aware that the senators and members of the House of Representatives of the 5th, 6th and 7th Assemblies also received these enormous allowances and budgetary allocation.
Though it is morally and economically reasonable for the jumbo salaries and allowances, which some describe as the highest in the whole world, to be slashed, it could not be denied that some of us are the indirect beneficiaries of these huge monies. The primary objective and responsibility of a lawmaker is to legislate for the overall good of the country and to attract the federal presence to his constituency whenever such opportunity arises, but not to bring the “national cake” to their people.
Whenever a senator or a member of the House of Representatives travels home, the general belief among Nigerians is that they have brought their share of the “national cake” . The people would then begin to assemble around the legislator’s house to discuss their financial needs, which they expect the lawmaker to tend to.
Experience is crucial in the hallowed chamber. It is gained through continuity and renewal of the terms of office, which is the reason why the constitution allows the lawmakers to seek re-election for as many times as they desire.
However, senators and members of the House of Representatives usually fail to retain their seats just because their people refuse to vote them in due to the fact the legislators do not always share money when they are home. Like Oliver Twist, our legislators will continue to ask for money so as to have more than enough to give their people, since this is the only way they can be re-elected. We need to stop placing our financial burden on the legislators’ shoulders before asking them to cut down on their salaries. Our attitude is the reason why all political office holders usually go to any length to dip their hands in the national treasury just to have more money to share. So, before demanding a slash in the salaries, allowances and budgetary allocation to the lawmakers, ask yourself: are you ready to stop claiming Ramadan, Sallah, Easter and Christmas gifts from them.
– Hussain Obaro writes from Lokoja, Kogi State
oseniobaro@yahoo.com
