The Arewa Consultative Forum,
ACF, has condemned any attempt to pay the legislators of the 9th National
Assembly a whopping sum of 19.8 billion naira as welcome package.
It said described it as an
unpatriotic act that undermined the present reality of the country and the
poverty ridden citizens.
A statement issued by the
National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Muhammad Ibrahim Biu,
said, “ACF does not want to
believe the media reports that N19.8b is to be paid to the new National
Assembly members as a welcome package.
“This is because the reported amount
is beyond the fiduciary mark, as it does not take into account the reality of
the national economy that has just been exited from recession and struggling to
thrive amid myriad of socioeconomic challenges that include poverty that comes
with unemployment.”
ACF described the huge payment of
a welcome package of N19.8bn to the new legislators of the 9th Assembly at this
time as morally preposterous “as it makes politics to be the only trade in town
which is not helpful.”
The forum said, ”We must blame
the system and the ill-conceived policy of the previous administrations that
monetized entitlements of law makers and other political appointees and sold
the nation’s landed properties meant for the legislators and other political
appointees to themselves without considering the aftermath effect.
“The past military
administrations were wise enough to build customized Apo Quarters and Ministers
houses in Abuja, which were meant to take care of legislators and political
appointees in order to enhance both effectiveness and efficiency in governance.
“Unfortunately, the political
leaders in our present democratic system sold these landed properties to
themselves, thereby forcing the nation to pay jumbo package to not only new
legislators to settle for legislative session but to all other political
appointees every tenure.
“This has in turn forced some of
the legislators and other political appointees to live outside Abuja in view of
the ensuing high cost that makes it impossible for the nation to get value for
the money paid to them.
“ACF therefore wishes to appeal
to the political leaders at all levels of government to consider the interest
of the suffering masses in appropriating national and state resources needed
for improvement of the economy and development for the good of all, rather than
for enrichment of few.”
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