Nigeria: Anatomy of Sleaze

8 August 2016

If you thought President Buhari was being unnecessarily puritanical in the way he insisted that the doctored 2016 budget sent to him be cleaned of any kind of padding, and if you were sold on the fat lies being peddled by many a Rep or Senator that the legislators were merely doing their 'patriotic duty' to deliver a credible budget for Nigeria, now you know better. The budgeting process as presently designed by the eminent crooks in our legislature is an elaborate scam.

When some of us said that the legislature had no right to introduce new items into the budget and that the so-called constituency projects were just a ruse for democratisation of sleaze, some critics sided with the legislators. Some even went as far as equating the legislature with the executive arm, ignoring the fact that lawmakers were not elected to execute. The question we won't ever tire of asking is, if you are so enchanted by the role of the executive, why not find your way there and quit the legislature? To remain in the legislature and blackmail the executive to cede some powers and projects so that you can all put your soiled fingers in the gravy tray, is nothing but a crime by another name.

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