The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has come under heavy criticism after mistakenly disclosing that holiday allowance had been sent to senators' bank accounts.
Akpabio had, on Monday before the Senate adjourned for annual recess, told his colleagues that money had been sent to them to "enjoy" their holiday, apparently forgetting that the proceeding was being captured on live camera.
Though he made the statement on Monday before adjourning plenary to September 26, the video went viral on social media yesterday.
The Senate President said: "In order to enable all of us to enjoy our holidays, a token has been sent to our various accounts by the Clerk of the National Assembly."
Upon realising that he was speaking on live television, he quickly retracted, and said, "I withdraw that statement. In order to allow you to enjoy your holiday, the senate president has sent prayers to your mailboxes to assist you to go on a safe journey and return."
While it's not clear the amount that was sent to the lawmakers as their salaries and allowances are shrouded in secrecy, the "holiday bonus" comment came weeks after the lawmakers were allocated N70 billion to support their "working conditions" in an amended 2022 supplementary appropriation act.
Daily Trust reports that the lawmakers had said the N70bn was earmarked as 'palliatives' to support "the working conditions of National Assembly members."
But many Nigerians described the huge budgetary allocation as insensitive, especially at a period when a majority of Nigerians are grappling with economic hardship heightened by the removal of fuel subsidies.
For instance, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project had issued a strong statement urging the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, "to drop the scandalous plan to spend N40bn on 465 exotic and bulletproof cars for members and principal officials, and N70bn as 'palliatives' for new members."
Also, a human rights activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, described the move as callous and a breach of the constitution of the country.
Falana in a statement said, "Out of sheer insensitivity coupled with impunity, the members of the National Assembly, regardless of political affiliation, conspired to breach the relevant provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 by padding the Supplementary Appropriation Bill, 2023 to provide the so-called palliative of N70bn for 306 newly-elected members.
"While the masses of Nigeria are groaning under the excruciating economic pains unleashed on them by the ruling class, the National Assembly has awarded N228.7m to each of the newly elected legislators. As if that is not enough, the members of the National Assembly have earmarked N40bn to purchase 465 Sports Utility Vehicles and bulletproof cars for principal officials and members. However, the legislators approved the sum of N500bn for 12 million indigent people in a country where the National Bureau of Statistics has said that '62.9 percent of people (133 million) are multi-dimensionally poor'."
Criticisms trail 'holiday enjoyment allowance comment'
The lawmakers' "holiday enjoyment" bonus has attracted heavy criticism from Nigerians, who said the political leaders asked the masses to make sacrifices while they carry on with extravagance amid nationwide hardship occasioned by a hike in petrol prices.
The Executive Director, of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Transparency in Nigeria (TI-Nigeria), Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, described the development as worrisome.
"We are seriously worried by such unguarded development from the Senate President and careless action of the leadership of the National Assembly at this critical moment when common Nigerians are struggling to survive on basic needs, giving the lingering socio-economic impact of the removal of fuel subsidy.
"While common Nigerians are told to endure the hardship triggered by the removal and sacrifice for the country, our senators are busy lavishing taxpayers' monies on their luxurious holidays. An open declaration that each senator has received a certain sum to enjoy his or her holiday is tantamount to insensitivity, lack of empathy, and apparent insincerity to addressing the socio-economic plight of common Nigerians," Rafsanjani said.
He said that instead of devising ways to ameliorate socio-economic challenges bedeviling the country, the legislators are preoccupied with 'pocket-serving' activities.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), Dr. Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi, said this is yet another clear case of hypocrisy and double standards, which have characterised the approach of the political class to issues of governance in Nigeria.
"The people of this country are watching and they can clearly see that the politicians have no integrity. The morally reprehensible slip by Akpabio comes at a time millions of Nigerians are wallowing in hunger and extreme poverty, with the government unable to provide the right palliatives to address the harsh conditions precipitated by subsidy removal.
"By this revelation, the politicians have again shown that their understanding of democracy is a government of the political elite, by the elite, and for the elite," Zikirullahi said.
The Executive Director, the Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA), Faith Nwadishi, said that the development showed the insensitivity of Nigerian leaders to the plights of the citizenry.
"This shows that this is what has been happening at that level of governance, where the people are crying in pain because of the hardship that has been imposed because of the removal of fuel subsidy without any plan to cushion the pain. But we have our own representatives because they are going on holiday, their accounts are being credited.
"It also shows that we have leaders who do not show empathy for the people they are representing and who are supposed to be speaking on their behalf.
"Another thing is that the citizens are not properly enlightened on the roles these people (lawmakers) are supposed to play. This is enough reason to begin a recall process for those representatives at the national level, who despite the fact that their constituents are crying out are going on holiday and being credited.
"Another thing is that when you look at it on the flip side, you know that when they go back to their constituencies, they would have people trooping into their homes, without asking them what they have achieved, asking them for money.
"This shows that there is really a lot that needs to be done. The Senate President said they would be credited, and they would eventually be credited. So, who is going to account for the money and what was the money meant for? It is a pity; it is heartbreaking. But that is the reality of our country and people must stand and speak against all this," Nwadishi said.
On his part, the Chief Executive of Connected Development (CODE), Mallam Hamzat Lawal, said that it is insensitive of the lawmaker, now that their constituents are suffering hardship to be involved in the development.
"I think the Senate needs to focus more on their duties rather than focus more on perks that come with their office. And I think this is where we have to review the cost of governance, the cost of running the National Assembly, and what package our legislators take home.
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"This is really insensitive and it is rather a shame that this insensitive statement was made by the Senate President. Sadly, our leaders are not leaving by examples," Lawal said.
An activist who was a former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Timi Frank, described Akpabio's comment on live television as a show of shame and a mockery of the country's democracy.
Frank, in a viral video on Wednesday, urged the Senate President to immediately resign his position.
He said, "The show of shame that was demonstrated today (Monday) on live national television where the Senate under Akpabio was telling the whole world and Nigerians that they are going on vacation, and the Clerk of the National Assembly has paid money to every account of the Nigerian senators.
"This is the biggest joke we've seen in recent times, and that is the main reason why I'm making it bold and very clear that Senator Godswill Akpabio must immediately resign as the Senate President. He cannot continue to make a mockery of our democracy and make a mockery of Nigerians.
"Akpabio has shown that since the inception of the Nigerian Senate, this is the most corrupt Senate President ever Nigerians have witnessed.
"I use this opportunity to call on President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to end this joke and Nollywood act of Akpabio, that this is the time he the President must tell Akpabio to resign for this show of shame and national embarrassment, Nigerians can no longer take this in this APC government anymore."
