Obasanjo writes
letter to Saraki and Dogara, criticize them over plans to buy more cars for
their legislative duties
Former President 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 to carry out their legislative
duties. 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...
Honourable Yakubu Dogara
Speaker,
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.
