The National Assembly has been accused of insensitivity to the current plights of Nigerians by approving N70 billion to themselves as support to the “working conditions” of new lawmakers.
The Executive Director, Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), Dr Ibrahim Zikirullahi, who made the criticism, said the action showed how insensitive the legislators are to the plight of the ordinary Nigerians.
The federal lawmakers yesterday, amended the N819.5 billion 2022 supplementary budget and inserted N70 billion for themselves as support for their “working conditions”.
Speaking further, Zikirullahi lamented that the allocation to millions of farmers of N19.2bn was far below the N70bn the lawmakers have allocated to themselves, which are just 469 in number.
“This has to be the height of greed and disrespect for the people. This lopsided approach to governance, and the disproportionate focus on the needs of few people in government stands condemned,” Zikirullahi said.
Similarly, the Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Musa Rafsanjani lambasted the NASS, saying “there is no way any reasonable person with an iota of common sense can allocate billions of naira to themselves and continue to enjoy government privileges while failing to provide conditions for improved living conditions and creating opportunities for better livelihood to the people they govern and who, for the most part, feed the nation because without them we cannot have food to eat. I think there is no logic and common sense here.
“The president must act swiftly against this recklessness and extravagant lifestyle of the lawmakers and other political appointees who add little to no value to the country yet every month they go home with millions of naira for themselves at the expense of the poor and struggling masses.”
Also, The Executive Director, Young People’s Initiative for Credible Leadership (YPICL), Comrade Abdulwahab Ekekhide, faulted the 10th National Assembly as starting on a wrong footing, and that there is a need to remind them of Section 14 subsection 2(b) of the 1999 Constitution as amended which states that the security and welfare of the people is the primary purpose of government.
“How on earth can they approve the sum of N19.2bn for farmers affected by flooding in 2022 and then approve for themselves a whopping N70bn? This is a misplaced priority and a disservice to the Nigerian people.
“Let me use this medium to call on other CSOs and the citizens to begin to hold our legislators to account,” Ekekhide said.
