NASS SQUANDERMANIA: THE CAT IS OUT OF THE BAG

NASS SQUANDERMANIA: THE CAT IS OUT OF THE BAG We have heard it before, but the benificiaries have always dismissed it as false and malicious. The cat is now out of the bag. So, if you are standing, please sit down before reading the next sentence. Born again House of Representative member from Kano, Dr Abdulmumini Jibrin, has this morning, speaking on Radio France, comfirmed that apart from their regular fat salaries, each member also recieves a minimum of N10 million every month as his constituency allowance. He also comfirmed that these monies go to the pockets of the members because what they spend in their costituencies does not even reflect 5% of what is collected. Jibrin is right, from my observation over the years since 1999, the represenratives mostly become generous during farming season when they bring in 600 bags of fertilizer, that is a trailer load and distribute it with fanfare to ward representatives, then next, they dig a few boreholes and thirdly, they offer schorlaship to some few students. Overall, the total spent may not be morethan N10 million out of the N120 million recieved per annum.

The story is not any diffirent with senators who get even higher allowances. The awoof money explains the reason why vieying for political office has become a matter of life and death to so many. Some go to the extent of employing assassins to eliminate the competition or engage Babalawos, Bokas and all sort of evil machination to get rid of the opponent. Now that Nigerians know the truth, what are they going to do about it? By the way, the one year suspension punishment meted on Represetative Jibrin, is not designed to deny him the opportunity to contribute in debates, rather, to deny him the N120 million allowance he would have otherwise recieved in the course of the year. Generally, the problem with Nigerian institutions is that they all duplicate the functions of others. Why give a representative N10 million every month to construct something in his costituenccy, when his main job is to make laws. Provision of infrustructure and amenities is the job of the federal, states and local governments. Not that of a lawmaker. Are you a professor, physician, nurse, teacher, office clerk, pilot, civil or mechanical engineer, office assistant working for the government or private company? How much do you earn? Think about it ! ~ Aminu Iyawa