- By fulfilling their promise to make public details of the Assembly’s budget, the Senate President and House Speaker have acted honourably
For once, there is positive news from the National Assembly as it released details of its spending plan for the year last week. It was the first time in the history of the Fourth Republic, and followed strident agitation by the critical sections of the public – the media, labour movement and civil society organisations.
Controversy has always trailed the one-line presentation of the legislature because the National Assembly had always ignored calls to open up their budget details. The lawmakers continued to insist that all the public needed to know was the amount to be spent, not the details of who spends and how. They have also pointed out that the judiciary allocation has never been made public, following the attainment of independence status by the two arms of government.s
But the public never gave up, arguing that, if the executive could be made to throw open details of its budget, nothing also stops the legislature from doing same. It appeared irresponsible for the lawmakers to subject ministers to gruelling sessions of defending their budgetary requirements while shielding theirs. This year, however, in place of the one-line stipulation, a 33-page breakdown was released. It is now possible to understand that managing the assembly is expected to gulp N14.9 billion, while the National Assembly Service Commission is expected to receive N2.4 billion.
General Services has an allocation of N12.5 billion, with the National Assembly Legislative Institute looking forward to receiving N4.3 billion. The service-wide vote is N391.3 million. It is the duty of the Public Accounts Committee of the two chambers to monitor how public fund is being expended, thus holding many sessions to which the public is admitted. Thus, the committees are allocated N261 million.
The 109 senators and 360 members of the House of Representatives are to draw their emoluments from the N80 billion earmarked for the purpose. The running cost of the two chambers is also to be drawn from the vote. The openness is a further proof that democracy has no room for secrecy and opaqueness. Every Naira drawn from public purse must scrupulously comply with standards towards enabling the public monitor public expenditure.
We agree with the publicity secretary of the national ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, that, “by this action, the leadership of the National Assembly has demonstrated that they are in tune with the yearnings of Nigerians for a transparent and open government. We are confident that by this unprecedented action, the National Assembly has taken a major step forward in improving its estimation in the eyes of all citizens.”
It must, however, be pointed out that Nigerians still deserve to know exactly how much the legislators individually draw from the pool monthly. There are still so many votes hidden in generalisations. We find it difficult to understand why none of the 469 members of the National Assembly could come out boldly to release all about his sundry receipts from the public till. This is a challenge that we think anyone who describes himself as a progressive should easily pick up and lay the controversy in this respect permanently to rest.
It is equally untenable that the judiciary’s budget remains a one-line provision. If judicial officers are to draw money from the Federation Account, their salaries, sundry allowances and running costs of the courts should be published in full. A situation whereby it took the arrest of some judges to know they draw special benefits unknown to general appropriation principles is unacceptable and should be corrected now. All arms and departments of government have a duty to imbibe the spirit that they are accountable to the public for all their spending and activities.
