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SERAP Tell NASS Members To Return Monies Collected As Running Costs, Other Dodgy Allowances

According to SERAP, the trust fund will provide health aid, educational support, economic empowerment, dignity and improved social welfare of the most vulnerable segments of the society.

According to SERAP, the trust fund will provide health aid, educational support, economic empowerment, dignity and improved social welfare of the most vulnerable segments of the society.

Civil society organization, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has called on the Senate President, Mr. Bukola Saraki; and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, to persuade members of both legislative chambers to refund running costs and other allowances illegal allowances they have collected. SERAP made the call in a statement signed by Mr. Timothy Adewale, its Deputy Director.

On Wednesday, the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) declared as illegal the N13.5 million and N10 million collected monthly by senators and House of Representatives members respectively as running costs because the payment is not covered by the Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances) (Amendments) Act 2008 governing emoluments of political office holders. The RMAFC, in a statement signed by its spokesman, Mr. Ibrahim Mohammed, said only the National Assembly Service Commission could explain how the senators came to be paid such an unapproved allowance. 

SERAP urged the two leaders of the federal legislature to use the returned funds for the establishment of a trust fund to improve investment in education and health.

“Under the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended), the National Assembly cannot use its appropriation power for personal gain of lawmakers. The revelation that the National Assembly unilaterally increased their own allowances and running costs without any regard to due process of law constitutes a flagrant abuse of governmental powers for personal gain."

“The National Assembly would never be able to check abuses of power by the executive or perform important oversight functions if the lawmakers are looking after themselves rather than standing up for the citizens,” said SERAP.

On the proposed establishment of a trust fund, SERAP said this will serve as one of the strategies for addressing the escalating crisis in the Nigerian educational and health sectors, two issues American billionaire, Mr. Bill Gates discussed with the federal government on his recent visit to Nigeria.

According to SERAP, the trust fund will provide health aid, educational support, economic empowerment, dignity and improved social welfare of the most vulnerable segments of the society.

It called on the National Assembly leadership to ensure that legislators are more sensitive to the needs of Nigerians in the exercise of their legislative powers and that such powers are used to widen access to quality education and adequate health for all Nigerians irrespective of their socio-economic status. SERAP equally demanded that the National Assembly leadership should institute a system that checks corruption by publishing an account of receipts and members’ expenditures, including for constituency projects, running costs and sundry allowances.

“To check against corruption, the leadership of the National Assembly should also urgently put in place a system of publishing an account of receipts and expenditures of members, including on constituency projects, running costs and other allowances. Nigerians who pay the lawmakers ought to know in what manner the funds for the operation of the National Assembly are expended."

“Saraki and Dogara should take immediate steps to ensure the recovery and voluntary return of the ‘dirty money’, if they are to ensure that the Constitution's integrity is not undermined by the evasion of political and legal accountability by the National Assembly. The trust funds would contribute to the efforts to improve investment in education and health for the greatest happiness of the greatest number,” reasoned SERAP.

It argued that without accountability among legislators, the country’s democracy cannot function the way it has been constitutionally designed. It added that by minimizing the possibility of abuse of governmental power, the country’s constitution offers greater protection of individual liberty.

“The Framers of the Constitution deemed this information essential if Nigerians are to exercise any control over their representatives and meet their growing responsibilities as citizens. Publication of statement of accounts of public expenditures would enhance the responsibility of the National Assembly by informing the public about the purposes and authority for certain expenditures,” said SERAP.

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