A former Vice-President of the World Bank, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, yesterday urged federal lawmakers to organise a public hearing on their budgetary allocation and remuneration.
She said instead of verbal attacks, the lawmakers should come up with data to controvert her disclosure that N1 trillion had been voted for the National Assembly in the last eight years.
Ezekwesili, who insisted on the facts in her presentation at a Roundtable on Cost of Governance on Monday, said she is ready to appear before a public hearing.
She expressed regrets that members of the National Assembly, without the benefit of her full speech, strangely chose to haul verbal assaults and threats at her.
Ezekwesili said: “My presentation approached the topic more broadly, by calling attention to the fundamentally unsustainable economic structure that has caused Nigeria’s development over the last 53 years to lag behind those of countries with similar political history with attendant high poverty level of 69% of our citizens according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
“As part of the aspect of my presentation that touched on management of Public Finance, I provided eight years data on budgetary allocations or transfers to the National Assembly.
“The data in question is publicly available information from the Ministry of Finance which reveals that the allocations to the National Assembly known as Statutory Transfers between 2005 and 2013 were approximately One Trillion Naira as follows:
2005 (N54.79billion); 2006 (N54.79billion)2007 (N66.4billion);2008 (N114.39billion);2009 (N158.92billion); 2010 (N 150billion);2011 (N150billion);2012 (N150billion); and 2013 (N150billion).
“I also provided information available in a recent global comparison of legislators’ remuneration across the world recently published by the United Kingdom based The Economist magazine. I stated that the report alleged that Nigerian federal legislators with a basic salary of $189,500 per annum (N30.6m) were the highest paid lawmakers in the world.
“In reaction to various versions of news media report of my speech a number of members of the House of Representatives and Senators speaking as spokesmen of the National Assembly (NASS) and perhaps without the benefit of my full speech, strangely chose to haul verbal assaults and threats at me. “
She faulted the National Assembly for not tolerating dissension on its budget.
This is courageous & needs the support of all well meaning Nigerians. This is the 'Bitter truth about Nigerians'. Pls madam,more grease to your elbows. SAVE US MAMA!
ReplyDeleteThese. Are d type of pple. We needas our leaders not thosewho pay lipservice
ReplyDeleteIf the federal legislators are challenging these data as presented, the wise thing to do is for them to present their records to contradict the former. Nigerians are now wiser and sooner than later the kind of treatment meted out to one of their colleagues in the north.
ReplyDeleteGood point yes.But she was a minister 4 a while & she had access to ds information then.How come she could not raise these issues all D time she was in govt? This is my concern with a lot Ds so called 'top academic & professional knowledgable elite naija citizens'When in service of govt they say only things Dt govt can absorb & when they are out of it,they now start tellings us what we already know but they never mention when stil with D govt of D day.am sure by D time iweala too is out of govt we will begin 2 here more statistics..My message pls use ur Good Advanced knowledge to counter ds politicians...Bcos if u guys will not make ds changes then no point joining them in first place... Help us o... Odun Tutu
ReplyDeleteWell done Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, If this courageous act cannot now be supported by the Nigerian youths and all well meaning Nigerians that love our country to stop this heinous crime against humanity being perpetrated by the National assembly as a result of the error in our political system.
ReplyDeletePlease Nigerians and Nigerian youths stand up and fight for your future, rescue your future from these people who are never want anything good for their generation yet to come.
Those thieves will not come out. To do what? Fool themselves like OGA AT THE TOP? They will avoid anything that will bring out the full details of their greed and avarice
ReplyDeleteWe lack strong followership. That is our problem. If not, we should have joined hands to stop this illegality. But instead of that, you will see those thieves deceiving us with some tribal/ethnic remarks and problems in order to divert our attention. Too bad!!!
ReplyDeleteOld news if u ask me...d way forward pls...
ReplyDeleteSo now that we know that our LEGISLATURES are milking this country dry, what do U want us to do madame OBY?
ReplyDeleteEL-MATOSKY.