Former President,
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has written a letter to the Senate President Bukola
Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara criticizing
them over the reported plans to buy more cars for each Senator. In the letter
dated January 13th, Obasanjo stated that it was insensitive of the legislators
to think of buying more cars considering the critical state of the Nigerian
economy. Full text of the letter after the cut...
Distinguished
Senator Bukola Saraki
President
of the Senate Federal Republic of Nigeria
Senate
Chambers Abuja.
Honourable
Yakubu Dogara Speaker,
House
of Representatives,
National
Assembly Complex, Abuja.
It
is appropriate to begin this letter, which I am sending to all members of the
Senate and the House of Representatives through both of you at this auspicious
and critical time, with wishes of Happy New Year to you all. On a few occasions
in the past, both in and out of office as the President of Nigeria I have
agonised on certain issues within the arms of government at the national level
and among the tiers of government as well. Not least, I have reflected and
expressed, outspokenly at times, my views on the practice in the National
Assembly which detracts from distinguishness and honourability because it is
shrouded in opaqueness and absolute lack of transparency and could not be
regarded as normal, good and decent practice in a democracy that is supposed to
be exemplary.
I
am, of course, referring to the issue of budgets and finances of the National
Assembly. The present economic situation that the country has found itself in
is the climax of the steady erosion of good financial and economic management which
grew from bad to worse in the last six years or so. The executive and the
legislative arms of government must accept and share responsibility in this
regard. And if there will be a redress of the situation as early as possible,
the two arms must also bear the responsibility proportionally . The two arms
ran the affairs of the country unmindful of the rainy day.
The
rainy day is now here. It would not work that the two arms should stand side by
side with one arm pulling and without the support of the other one for good and
efficient management of the economy. The purpose of election into the
Legislative Assembly particularly at the national level is to give service to
the nation and not for the personal service and interest of members at the
expense of the nation which seemed to have been the mentality, psychology,
mindset and practice within the National Assembly since the beginning of this
present democratic dispensation. Where is patriotism? Where is commitment?
Where is service? The beginning of good governance which is the responsibility
of all arms and all the tiers of government is openness and transparency. It
does not matter what else we try to do as long as one arm of government shrouds
its financial administration and management in opaqueness and practices rife
with corruption, only very little, if anything at all, can be achieved in
pulling Nigeria on the path of sustainable and enduring democratic system,
development and progress. Governance without transparency will be a mockery of
democracy.
Let
us be more direct and specific so that action can be taken where it is urgently
necessary. A situation where our national budget was predicated on $38 per
barrel of oil with estimated 2 million barrels per day and before the budget
was presented, the price of oil had gone down to $34 per barrel and now
hovering around $30 and we have no assurance of producing 2 million barrels and
if we can, we have no assurance of finding market for it, definitely calls for
caution. If production and price projected on the budget stand, we would have
to borrow almost one third of the 6 trillion naira budget. Now beginning with
the reality of the budget, there is need for sober reflection and sacrifice
with innovation at the level of executive and legislative arms of government.
The soberness, the sacrifice and seriousness must be patient and apparent. It
must not be seen and said that those who, as leaders, call for sacrifice from
the citizenry are living in obscene opulence. It will not only be insensitive
but callously so.
It
would seem that it is becoming a culture that election into the legislative arm
of government at the national level in particular is a licence for financial
misconduct and that should not be. The National Assembly now has a unique
opportunity of presenting a new image of itself. It will help to strengthen,
deepen, widen and sustain our democracy.
By our
Constitution, the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission is
charged with the responsibility of fixing emoluments of the three arms of
government: executive, legislature and judiciary. The Commission did its job
but by different disingenuous ways and devices, the legislature had overturned
the recommendation of the Commission and hiked up for themselves that which
they are unwilling to spelt out in detail, though they would want to defend it
by force of arm if necessary. What is that? Mr. President of the Senate and
Hon. Speaker of the House, you know that your emolument which the Commission
had recommended for you takes care of all your legitimate requirements: basic
salary, car, housing, staff, constituency allowance. Although the constituency
allowance is paid to all members of the National Assembly, many of them have no
constituency offices which the allowance is partly meant to cater for. And yet
other allowances and payments have been added by the National Assembly for the
National Assembly members’ emoluments. Surely, strictly speaking, it is
unconstitutional. There is no valid argument for this except to see it for what
it is: law-breaking and impunity by lawmakers.
The
lawmakers can return to the path of honour, distinguishness,
sensitivity and responsibility. The National Assembly should have the courage
to publish its recurrent budgets for the years 2000, 2005, 20 10 and 2015. That
is what transparency demands. With the number of legislators not changing,
comparison can be made. Comparisons in emoluments can also be made with
countries like Ghana, Kenya, Senegal and even Malaysia and Indonesia who are
richer and more developed than we are. The budget is a proposal and only an
estimate of income and expenditure. Where income is inadequate,
expenditure will not be made. While in government, I was threatened with
impeachment by the members of the National Assembly
for not releasing some money they had appropriated for
themselves which were odious and for which there were no incomes to support
.
The
recent issue of cars for legislators would fall into the same category.
Whatever name it is disguised as, it is unnecessary and insensitive. A pool of
a few cars for each Chamber will suffice for any Committee Chairman or members
for any specific duty. The waste that has gone into cars, furniture, housing
renovation in the past was mind-boggling and these were veritable sources of
waste and corruption. That was why they were abolished. Bringing them back is
inimical to the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians. The way of proposing budget
should be for the executive to discuss every detail of the budget, in preparation,
with different Committees and sub-Committees of the National Assembly and the
National Assembly to discuss its budget with the Ministry of Finance. Then, the
budget should be brought together as consolidated budget and formally presented
to the National Assembly, to be deliberated and debated upon and passed into
law. It would then be implemented as revenues are available.
Where
budget proposals are extremely ambitious like the current budget and revenue
sources are so uncertain, more borrowing may have to be embarked upon, almost
up to 50% of the budget or the budget may be grossly unimplementable and
unimplemented. Neither is a choice as both are bad. Management of the economy
is one of the key responsibilities of the President as prescribed in the Constitution.
He cannot do so if he does not have his hands on the budget. Management of the
economy is shared responsibility where the Presidency has the lion share of the
responsibility. But if the National Assembly becomes a clog in the wheel, the
executive efforts will not yield much reward or progress. The two have to work
synchronisingly together to provide the impetus and the conducive environment
for the private sector to play its active vanguard role.
Management
of the budget is the first step to manage the economy. It will be interesting
if the National Assembly will be honourable enough and begin the process of
transparency, responsibility and realism by publishing its recurrent budgets
for 2016 as it should normally be done. Hopefully, the National Assembly will
take a step back and do what is right not only in making its own budget
transparent but in all matters of financial administration and management
including audit of its accounts by external outside auditor from 1999 to date.
This,
if it is done, will bring a new dawn to democracy In Nigeria and a new and
better image for the National Assembly and it will surely avoid the Presidency
and the National Assembly going into face-off all the time on budgets and
financial matters.
While I
thank you for your patience and understanding, please accept, Dear Senate
President and Honourable Speaker of the House, the assurances of my highest
consideration.
Yours
sincerely, Olusegun Obasanjo
Source:
TheCable
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