Dear gentlemen,
have no doubt that you read the Vanguard Newspaper of Sunday 18 November 2007 and the Daily Sun of another date in April 2008. The Vanguard reported that Aso Rock had budgeted N2.3 million a day for refreshment alone in the financial year 2008 while the Daily Sun reported that the Reps have also earmarked a sum of N114,054.95 for each of them per day for refreshment among others on the list of their budgets. These monies, respectively translate to $20,000+ & $1000.00/day.
If the reports are true, then the budget lacks decorum and one, very insensitive to the groaning of Nigerian masses contending with serious poverty.
You may wonder why I am singling out just two of you in a population of over 140million to register my anguish over the greedy, ridiculous and immoral budget.
The Focus Nigeria anchored by Gbenga on African Independent Television (AIT) on weekdays mornings has provided satisfying in-depth discussion of major on-going, current events; in-fact sometimes it is firework and I am wondering whether he has invited the so called Honourables to his programme, which I have tagged "Gbenga's court" or at other times, "The Peoples' Forum" to defend themselves why they think they should allocate that much to themselves as daily entertainment allowance in a country where many live on $1.00/day.
Dr. Abati today in Nigeria combines the duty, which was in times past performed by the duo of Tai Solarin of blessed memory and chief Tola Adeniyi of "Till Death Do us Part" column in the Nigerian Tribune, in the 80's. I cannot remember precisely who wrote on Mondays while the other wrote on Thursdays. It was a delight to see Chief Tola Adeniyi on the AIT recently as an MC (Master of Ceremony) at the 80th birthday bash of a Lagos socialite and SAN, chief Ayo Adebanjo.
Rumour had it that the write-up of the two made the then President, Alhaji Sheu Shagari shivers and jitters a lot. It was said that the Tribune was the first thing he looked at every Monday and Thursday and he heaved a big sigh of relief on any of those days when he was spared by pa Tai Solarin or Chief Tola Adeniyi as the case may be.
Reuben Abati again, in my personal assessment is now the voice of the old doyen of journalism and prolific writer of the "Allah-De" column of the Old Daily Times.
I have been on the lookout for Reuben's comment on this issue and I have not seen it. I sincerely apologize if you have written but it escaped my attention.
Unfortunately, the time that "Focus Nigeria" is aired is in conflict with my duty time but I religiously listen to it on my work-free days, which are Thursdays and Fridays except when I am on a journey. If you have also brought the 'Honourable' Members for questioning and it is me who missed it, I equally apologize to you. The bottom-line however is that it does not appear that they have repented of their evil to revising it or cancel the outrageous budget entirely.
On my own part, I have commented on the Aso Rock refreshment budget in the 'Nigeriaworld' published on Wednesday/Thursday February 27/28 under the title "A Nehemiah, May God Raise for us in Nigeria" This was before the Daily Sun made its Headline titled "Revealed!! How Reps milk Nigeria" where it listed the much, which the Legislators greedily budgeted for themselves.
A patriot from Canada had also voiced his anguish, in the "Nigeriaworld" after the Daily Sun Newspaper publication.
Why then am I involving Mr. Aruleba and Dr. Abati?
Coming to defend themselves (Legislators) on the "Focus Nigeria" will afford us the opportunity to be educated with what they know about their functions, which we who they represent do not know, that should attract such annoying allocations.
As for Reuben, his words are weighty and cannot be taken lightly. Besides, only people who have access to the Internet could have read what the other patriot who lives in Canada and I have written. Besides, I am not sure whether our legislators ever have time to read comments on the Internet when they have many other things to think upon and plan bothering on strategies to steal more money under "Due Process". This is in spite the fact that they have budgeted a colossal N600million for computers and Integrated Information Technology project and infrastructure.
In all honesty, it was when I was just getting impressed with the new crop of our lawmakers with the boldness and courage with which they are probing the several spending and activities of the immediate past administration vis-à-vis Energy, Land and Housing allocation in the Abuja Capital Territory that the revelation of the outrageous, insensitive and immoral allocation of the public fund to themselves came out. The revelation of the budget had made a mockery of their outcry and out bursts during their probes especially the energy probe. So what is the difference between the two groups i.e those who took money and did not provide electricity and themselves who are allocating N114,000+ ($1000.00) a day just for refreshment in a country where many State Governments refused to pay a paltry minimum wage of N9000.00 a month, which translates to less than $3.00/day? What moral rights have they to probe anyone? Until they, cancel or at least revise the entire outrageous budget with one, which shows honesty, consideration, sensitivity and fairness to the suffering masses of Nigerians, they should just call off the probes. It is hypocritical and an insult to the sensibility of the poor Nigerian population.
A late politician had said that they had not gone to the house to legislate poverty. I can't remember precisely how he coined his words. I too do not agree they should but they should not also go there to make a fool of us.
I seem now to be understanding the interpretation of the Legislators' ''Due Process''. ''Due Process'' in their dictionary and that of the Executive Arm of the Government and Civil servants is ''You can rob the nation as long as it is legalized''. So Due process is "Legalized Robbery" i.e Provide for it in the budget first and then draw it. Or in other words, "It does not matter, how much you take from the public treasury as long as you had previously made provision for it in black and white. So who is deceiving whom with Due Process and Rule of Law? What a mockery of the good foundation laid by Mrs Obiageli Ezekwesili.
The open sobbing of the tooth-gap Speaker of the House at the visit of the Pupils' Parliament sometimes ago after listening to the predicaments of the Nigerian pupils is now nothing but political sentiments, hypocrisy and dishonesty when the money that can be used to alleviate the suffering of the pupils are allocated to only a few of them under frivolous headings. Thanks to Bayo Oluponda for his comments in today's (May 27) Guardian newspaper titled "The Hypocrisy of Children's Day Celebration"
While discussing with a friend this, nauseating, topic, he said that he worked for a state government from 1973 and retired on GL 13 in 1993, a period of 20 years, all he had as gratuity, which was recently paid amounted to less than $600.00 while some other Nigerians take $1000.00 a day just as entertainment allowance. Only in Nigeria can such a criminal behaviour take place.
I quote below parts of the comments I wrote in the "nigeriaworld" on Feb.27 2008 under the title "A Nehemiah: May God Raise for us in Nigeria" after the Vanguard newspaper published the news of the N2.3million refreshment budget for Aso Rock:
"This budget proposal confirms again the submission of the former World Bank President, Paul Wolfowitz. Wolfowitz, when he was the World Bank chief in charge of Africa announced some years ago on a visit to Lagos that the ruling class of Nigeria constitutes only 1% of the entire population, yet it (ruling class) consumes 80% of the nation's wealth, leaving the rest 99% of the population to scramble for the rest 20% of the wealth"
Actually it was Dr. Mark D. Tomlinson, the then Country Director of the World Bank who made the pronouncement as I recollected after my write-up. I apologize for the mix-up.
I continue with the quote of part of my write up in the 'Nigeriaworld' of Feb.27
"I do not understand how Aso Rock villa could be so insensitively audacious to propose 2.5 million Naira/day for refreshment alone in a country where millions go to bed hungry, where millions live in shamble houses, where millions do not even have shambles to lay their heads, where uncountable do not have money to procure medication for their simple ailments and they die unnecessarily, where salaries of workers are unrealistic with market values. N2.5 million/day, in one month can inject into the employment market 8,300 youths on a salary of N9,000/month"
"No one is protesting that entertainment of guests shouldn't be done at Aso Rock villa. No one says personal money should be used neither. Of course, in the historical excursion just narrated, Nehemiah did, with huge amount of his personal money. Prof. Wole Soyinka did not earn salary from the Government when he worked for the Road Safety. Someone recently appointed in Rotimi Amaechi's River State Government, whose name I can't remember, promises to do" (I remember his name afterwards as Atedo Peterside. I apologize if I miss the name again). Just a couple of days ago, I seem to hear a 3rd Republic Senator, David Dafinone, on AIT said he did not take salary as a senator"
"This is where the much-noised 'rule of law' has its lapses. The proposal is made under the rule of law BUT is it one with human face in the midst of woeful poverty that most citizens are facing? Nehemiah refused to use government money but his own money to run the affairs of the state because "His people were already having a difficult time".
"The money will be released to the officials in the Aso Rock villa under the rule of law and it will be retired (accounted for) under the rule of law but the question is what percentage of the money is really spent on entertaining guests of the allotted N2.5million/day and what percentage goes into private pockets? I bet the servant leader will hardly drink a can of soda a day and I can bet he does not drink beer. It is cheering to read that he has not dipped into the fund allocated for security"
"I am always baffled, miffed, pissed off and at a loss when I travel through the towns, villages and cities of Nigeria and see beautiful architectural masterpieces of mansions from the blues in isolation (while the majority of the citizens live in squalor) and I am told that one civil servant or some public office holders own them. You will wonder whether their legitimate income all their service years can ever account for those properties. The mansions are the rewards of such budgets made under the rule of law but ends up in private pockets. They do it without fear and get away with it because ours is a country where no questions are asked about the source of wealth of anyone until the recent coming of the EFCC. And how many can the EFCC follow? And the masses rather than isolating the thieves hail them with the notion that "Who will be in the vantage position and not do the same?"
"I was very impressed with the former Speaker of the house, Alh. Bugaje. I hope I got his identity correctly. It was at the day of honour in respect of the late Chief S.B Awoniyi at Abuja on Thursday 29 November last year, 2007. The Alhaji stood up to announce that he begged to differ from the previous speakers at the occasion. He said of one thing that always bothered him and which he was never shy to put across to the late Chairman of the Arewa Consultative forum, Chief Awoniyi. Bugaje said that hardly would there be any weekend when there would not be a gathering of who is who in the North for one ceremony or the other; be it wedding, naming of a new born, funeral, birthday etc involving spending of lots of cash, yet there would be one person, somewhere in the North who will need only N1000.00 for medication of his ailment but will not have it and will die. What a decent voice! Such voices should identify themselves to campaign to those with stupendous wealth to become Nehemiahs for Nigeria"
Few days later, I received the following comment from a Surgeon friend in Kuwait:
"Brother Sam,
Thanks for calling my attention to your thought provoking and well written article in NigeriaWorld. I do not read Nigeriaworld everyday, because some of the news can give me depression! When Aso Rock spends about N2.3m on refreshment or so per day, in a country where the hospitals have not got anti malarias, will that not give one depression? Pray, how much does 10 Downing Street or the White House spend on refreshment per week!
-------------------------------Dunni" (Dr. Oladunni Kehinde)
Listening to the different personalities who speak on daily basis on the "Focus Nigeria" anchored by Gbenga Aruleba of the AIT, one comes to the conclusion that we are never short of ideas and not just ideas but superb ideas that can make Nigeria, a comfortably habitable country but the regret is translating those ideas into reality for the benefit of the general masses and betterment of the nation. And the problem with translating it into reality is the will to execute the ideas in an honest and transparent manner, without diverting the allotted monies to personal use. Dan Anyanwu, the chairman of the Labour Party last Thursday 15 May on Focus Africa equally came to this conclusion.
It is for this reason I wrote an open letter to the Religious Leaders in the country published in the 'Nigeriaworld' in two parts just few weeks ago. The solution I believe lies in our joint/collective resolve and commitment to be honest in all our endeavours and do things right. The various Religious Leaders under their different uniting umbrellas should call for a massive rally where we shall all humbly pledge before God and man in the open that we shall abandon filthy lucre for a honest life for the sake of this generation and generation coming behind. 'A Righteous Walk" can be organized in all the LGA HQs, State capitals and the Federal Capital. Individual resolve and commitment will not yield fast enough because the individual will be discouraged when he finds himself a lone ranger in the honest path and will likely again join the band wagon of pen robbers.
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