Doyin Okupe, former aide to
immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan, has dared Prof. Itse Sagay,
Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), to,
within 24 hours, carry out his threat to reveal details of the running cost of
the principal officers of the National Assembly.
Okupe, however, asked Sagay to
also reveal the running cost of President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi
Osinbajo, ministers, special advisers to the President, and other top
government functionaries including himself.
Sagay had declared that he would
soon make public the monthly earnings of the leadership of the National
Assembly.
He said the N13 million
allowances being received by senators is only a tip of the iceberg as Nigerians
will be shocked when he releases details of the allowances of the principal
officers.
Reacting however, Okupe
challenged Sagay to give correct figures about the running cost of all top
members of the Buhari government, pointing out that each day he failed to carry
out his threat, his credibility will continue to wane.
He said in a statement, “I find
the threat by Professor Sagay on allowances and running cost of the leadership
of the National Assembly very interesting. It will aid our fight for
transparency in public affairs. However, he should not be selective. For us to
take him seriously, he should include the details of the running costs of the
office of the President, Vice President, Ministers, Special Advisers, heads of
Government agencies, parastatals and even himself. Afterall, all the salaries,
allowances and running costs come from the same public coffers.
“He should tell the world how
much he is paid, how much he spends on his numerous junketing abroad, his
allowances, honoraria and others, including the ones paid for by international
donor agencies.
“For Prof. Sagay to say that the
country would explode if he gives out certain figures is inciting,
particularly, at a volatile and tensed period as we have now in the country. I
believe the President owes this country a duty to call this man to order.
“It will also be interesting if
Sagay can tell Nigerians what the achievements of his committee are in the last
30 months that it has been using government money. Or is the committee set up
just for the purpose of abusing and attacking the National Assembly?
“With the Corruption Perception
Index (CPI) rating recently released by Transparency International (TI), it
does appear that Sagay’s committee has neither helped Nigeria nor the President
who set up the committee and funded it with tax- payers’ money. Mr. Sagay
should sit down with members of his committee to work seriously in developing
position papers and policies that will actually help the anti-corruption war
and make it more effective. This will by far be a much more dignified job than
rabble-rousing and witch-hunting of institutions and personalities in the
country.”
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