Quite intriguing is the recent revelation by a former Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Mr. Hamman Tukur, that the body, under his leadership, did not know the source of salaries and allowances of National Assembly (NASS) members. Tukur told an online medium that the emoluments of NASS members were in excess of what RMAFC approved; and that the commission’s effort to checkmate the parliamentarians and subject their pay to scrutiny and approval by constituted authority like other government outfits proved abortive as the lawmakers resisted the attempt. Tukur’s information, in no insignificant posture, confirmed claims that federal lawmakers have been defecating on the system of checks and balances, the hub on which the principle of separation of powers under any democracy worth its name revolves.
Like Professor Olatunji Dare, a communication scholar, author and renowned columnist argued most recently, NASS sees itself as a repository of the popular will and a custodian of the people’s interests, mandated to make laws for the advancement of the nation. Indeed, as a part of its functions, NASS debates the appropriations prepared by the executive arm of government, alters them if it so pleases in the process of debating same, and passes them into law. But with utter impunity, the same NASS prepares its own budget, debates it, approves it and passes it into law, almost without any interference, modification or input from any other arm of government. Worse still, the lawmakers see no conflict of interest in the constitutional breach they have been feasting on, perhaps since 1999, until the All Progressives Congress (APC) took over power last May, since the executive and the legislative arms of government were under the control of the now opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and were, therefore, at liberty to devour the nation’s treasury the way they pleased.
This sordid definition of legislative liberty obviously powered by the ravenous lust of the NASS for profligate spending will veritably assist in finding explanations for not just the insane and perfidious quest for plum leadership positions within the two chambers of the federal legislature; though they veil the truth with claims of protecting NASS from external interference in choosing its leaders; but also give penetrating insight into why the earnings of members of NASS are shrouded in utter secrecy. Nigeria parades 109 Senators and 360 members of the House of Representatives said to be the highest paid in the entire world; whereas the realities on ground support their being paid just sitting allowances. They loathe any suggestion on the nation adopting a part-time legislature, which many advocate because of the lengthy vacations NASS embarks on year-in-year-out, irrespective of how urgent matters meant for its consideration may be. Not surprisingly, too, the 7th NASS rejected with 307 nay votes against 47 yes votes and six undecided others, the abolition of the presidential system of government that sustains the bloated legislature in its constitutional review exercise which former President Goodluck Jonathan refused his assent.
Following persistent public agitations against high cost of governance and economic down-turn occasioned by falling oil prices, RMAFC, widely perceived as permissive of out-ofthis- world public officers’ pay, said last week it would release newly reviewed remuneration packages for all political office holders to reflect present socioeconomic realities this month. There is also no discountenancing of the principled position of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government on public sector corruption and profligacy as one of the factors that prodded an otherwise insensitive RMAFC into its current effort to scale down the bloated earnings of public officers in a country where recurrent expenditure guzzles roughly 80 percent of annual budgets, while less than 40 percent of the remaining pittance left for capital expenditure is truly disbursed for the purpose each fiscal year.
Nevertheless, Mbam’s announcement on the remuneration review in line with prevailing realities is quite encouraging. But what novel enforcement initiative is RMAFC contemplating to apply to compel compliance? This is against Tukur’s lamentation that the commission’s effort to checkmate reckless NASS’ approval of outlandish pay for its members and subject their emoluments to scrutiny and approval by constituted authority was stiffly resisted by the lawmakers in past years. In the absence of any, the best bet is for the Presidency to step in and stem the impunity.
