[TOP STORIES] Holiday enjoyment allowance: Lawmakers play ostrich as subsidy pains bite harder

Amidst the hardship caused by the removal of the fuel subsidy, TOPE OMOGBOLAGUN writes that senators’ allowances indicate that they are indifferent to the suffering in the country

In the fast-paced world of politics, a single misstep can reverberate far beyond its initial utterance. Such was the case when the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, made a seemingly innocuous statement that set off a firestorm of controversy.

Akpabio, on August 7, before the Senate adjourned for a seven-week 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.

The Senate President said, “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.

“I withdraw that statement. 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.”

His words, whether offhand or deliberate, unleashed a cascade of reactions that dominated the social media space for days.

The few-second clip was greeted with heavy criticism as Nigerians particularly decried the recklessness of the parliament and its insensitivity to the pains and cries of Nigerians amidst severe hardships due to economic reforms made by President Bola Tinubu.

Nigeria has a bicameral legislature, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Lawmakers in both chambers receive various allowances in addition to their salaries. These allowances cover different aspects of their work and expenses, including housing, transportation, constituency outreach, and more.

In the past, there have been controversies and debates surrounding the transparency and appropriateness of the allowances received by Nigerian lawmakers, particularly because their allowances were often shrouded in secrecy.

Interestingly, Akpabio’s mention was the first time Nigerians became aware that lawmakers got any form of money, like a holiday allowance. Although one would expect that workers get leave allowance during vacation, the gaffe sparked the curiosity of Nigerians.

However, Akpabio, since he emerged as president of the tenth Senate, has been able to throw himself and his 105 colleagues into different controversies in successive manners.

The “holiday bonus” comment came weeks after the lawmakers were allocated N70bn to support their “working conditions” in an amended 2022 supplementary appropriation act.

The lawmakers said the N70bn was earmarked as ‘palliatives’ to support “the working conditions of National Assembly members.”

This came barely a few days before the “Let the Poor Breathe” comment, another viral debacle that came with apologies and clarification afterward.

While the amount allocated for holiday enjoyment had remained a mystery, lawmakers, having been fired at by their constituents, came out to disclose that they got the sum of N2m only.

One of them was a screenshot of a credit alert emanating from the Ondo South lawmaker, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim.

He stated that each lawmaker got N2m with screenshot evidence for his seven weeks’ leave.

Similarly, the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Ali Ndume, buttressed, stating that there was no “big deal” in senators getting N2m as leave allowance.

In an interview with the BBC Hausa on Saturday, Ndume remarked that distributing a total of N218m among the 109 senators to enjoy their vacation is not an extraordinary occurrence.

However, in an interview on Politics Today, a political discourse programme on Channels TV, one of the prominent female lawmakers in the tenth Senate, Ireti Kingibe, denied getting any allowance.

She said, “I did not receive any prayers, but I will check my emails for the prayers. Truthfully, I don’t know what he was talking about.

“Most people assume that our allowances are being paid; some statutory things that we are paid. I don’t think it was anything extra that we were supposed to be given. I certainly haven’t seen anything extra.”

Contradictorily, an activist, Timi Frank, claimed a source informed him that members of the House of Representatives reportedly received N30m each, while principal officers were allegedly given N45m each. He went on to claim that senators purportedly received N35m, with their officials reportedly obtaining N50m each.

Frank said, “I have been reliably informed that what Akpabio termed a token is actually in millions of naira, which belongs to taxpayers.

“According to a Senator from the North-West who confided in me, ‘each Senator received N35m while principal officers got N50m each.’

“He equally told me that each House of Representatives member got N30m while their principal officers received N45m each.

“The Senator said he had rejected his own largesse, saying, ‘Allah will not forgive me if I collect such an amount for vacation enjoyment while my constituents are in hardships. I will spend my vacation with my constituents in the village. I am not travelling to any other place, so I don’t need the money.’

“I know Akpabio and his cohorts will rush to deny this, but let them do so with evidence by publishing their bank statements for Nigerians to verify for the sake of transparency. I also dare the clerk to the National Assembly, Magaji Tambawal, to publish the vouchers with which he paid these slush funds into the accounts of legislators.”

As expected, Akpabio faced a significant blow to his “controversial” reputation following the incident. While some demanded an apology and clarification, others questioned the effectiveness of damage control efforts.

Frank didn’t only reveal the conversation that he had with his source; he also called for the resignation of the Senate President.

“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 a mockery of Nigerians.

“This is the same man who made a mockery of the poor and made it very clear in the Senate chamber by saying, ‘Let the poor breathe’. Meanwhile, he was laughing because he knew they would never allow the poor to breathe; they’d continue to suffocate the poor, and that is what he demonstrated today (Monday) on live TV by sharing the resources that belong to the poor with their accounts.

“Akpabio has shown that since the inception of the Nigerian Senate, this is the most corrupt Senate President Nigerians have ever witnessed.

“I use this opportunity to call on President Bola Tinubu to end this joke and the Nollywood act of Akpabio. 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,” he said.

Likewise, legislators are expressing frustration towards the Senate President for instigating Nigerians, especially their respective constituents, against them.

Ndume stated that the lawmakers would move against Akpabio if he continued to drag lawmakers into different messes and controversies.

“He created an impression as if we were given some special or huge amounts of money. What’s the big deal if I receive an N2m allowance in my capacity as a senator?

“He made a very wrong statement, and I warned him immediately that his comments were unbecoming of an elder.

“We are even planning to take drastic action against him if he continues making unguarded statements and acting as if we are kids,” the Borno South lawmaker stated.

Defending itself, the National Assembly, under the leadership of Clerk Magaji Tambawal, stated that it wasn’t involved in any form of frivolous spending as projected in the public space.

A statement by the Secretary, Research and Information for Clerk, Dr Ali Umoru noted that the National Assembly remained committed to transparency and accountability in the management of public funds. We appreciate the continued support and understanding of the Nigerian people as we work together to uphold the principles of democracy and good governance.

The statement read, “It should be noted that the N2m is part of the running cost of the office of each senator as provided for in the 2023 budget.

“The allocation for running costs is not a new development; it has been standard practice. These funds are utilised to facilitate various activities that directly contribute to effective representation, legislative activities, and other initiatives aimed at serving the interests of the people.

“For the avoidance of doubt and emphasis, the said allowances were budgeted for in the 2023 Appropriation Act as part of the running cost of the office of each Senator of the 10th Assembly. The allowances are therefore an entitlement and not a privilege or largesse distributed to the Senators.”

Surprisingly, the Senate President has some lending their voice to his support. One such is the Director General of the Unity Congress and lawyer, Essien Ita.

Ita said that Akpabio should be commended for enhancing transparency and not be vilified.

Ita noted that the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s Declaration on Parliamentary Openness requests that transparency be a crucial element in building trust between the public and democratic institutions like the National Assembly.

Ita further contended that making parliamentary information more accessible to citizens provides good governance and best democratic practices.

He added that countries like The Gambia, Seychelles, Australia, Wales, Barbados, Canada, and Singapore all enjoy holiday and travel allowances and wondered why Akpabio’s pronouncement of holiday allowance to Nigerian Senators should become an issue.

He said, “After all, this privilege was already in place before Senator Akpabio became Senate President.”

From online forums to television debates, the incident prompted an array of discussions. It shifted conversations from the specifics of the holiday allowance to broader themes of political accountability and representation. Many seized the opportunity to question whether public figures truly understand the realities of the citizens they serve.

In his comment, the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Rafsanjani, said instead of focusing on developing strategies to alleviate the socio-economic difficulties afflicting the nation, the lawmakers were preoccupied with “pocket-serving” actions.

On his part, the Chief Executive of Connected Development, Hamzat Lawal, lamented that leaders were not leading by example and that such a gaffe by the Senate President was insensitive.

Lawal noted, “I believe the Senate should prioritise their responsibilities over concentrating on the privileges that accompany their positions. This is precisely where a reevaluation of the governance expenses, the National Assembly’s operational costs, and the compensation package for our legislators becomes crucial.”

The Executive Director of the Centre for Transparency Advocacy, Faith Nwadishi, noted that Akpabio’s comment showed that there was a problem with the system that we run in Nigeria.