Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, yesterday told members of the Lower Chamber that the days of ‘free money’ were gone.
Reading the riot act on how he would run the House, he declared that he would separate allowances of members from monies meant to run committee activities.
With this action, the salaries and allowances for the Representatives would be cut by 40 per cent.
The Speaker maintained that the House would be more transparent regarding all public funds spent for the purpose of paying the salaries and allowances of legislators and assure that distinction is sufficently made between what a legislator actually earns and what is spent to run and implement legislative business and committee activities.
Under running costs, salaries and allowances of members, Tambuwal explained that the seventh session of the House “recognises the concerns raised by Nigerians about the jumbo pay of lawmakers. The watchword in financial issues will be fiscal conservatism”
Former Speaker Dimeji Bankole, ran a ‘collapse system’, merging all monies meant for the running of the House with the running of committee activities, leading to jumbo pay for the lawmakers.
But Tambuwal stated that all monies meant for specifics would be used for that purpose and Nigerians would be given opportunity to know what the House members were earning as salaries and what they earn as allowances.
He assured that the promotion of a viable and robust national economy would form the focus of the House as it works to support the emergence of a strong economy.
He said: “The seventh session of the House of Representatives will put in place legislative measures to achieve the best development outcome from government spending, including promotion of economic growth and social welfare.
“The thrust of the national budget should be effective prioritisation of spending on programmes within the national budget ensuring that adequate resources are available for spending on priority capital projects adoption of an effective Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and also effective monitoring of spending and of outcomes achieved-value for money”.
The Speaker maintained that the House would emphasise compliance with the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, including requirements that the executive shall seek input from the National Assembly in the preparation of MTEF.
He said: “MTEF shall be the basis for the preparation of the estimates of the annual national budget laid before the National Assembly, the executive shall at least 30 days before the deadline of the submission of its budget proposals place at the disposal of the National Assembly, including the net current revenue and the respective memorandum”.
While confirming the reduction in the allowances of members, it was revealed that at the executive session, the leadership resolved to yield to public outcry by reducing the salaries and allowances of the members by 40 per cent.
Peter Akpatason, representing Akoko-Edo Federal Constituency, Edo State, confirmed that the salaries and allowances of the members of the House do not reflect the jumbo pay.
Akpatason, a former President of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG), said “I’m not aware of any leakages but all I know is that we have just started. We are aware that the budget has been cut down by 40 per cent. What is responsible for that, I don’t know. But I’m aware that there is public outcry about the quantum of monies received by our predecessors. We have actually seen the breakdown for our own dispensation and one will rather think that certain elements are inadequate. I don’t see what people called bumper pay in what we have been offered here today. But, I don’t have access to what the breakdown of what our predecessors were paid, that is the situation.”
Reading the riot act on how he would run the House, he declared that he would separate allowances of members from monies meant to run committee activities.
With this action, the salaries and allowances for the Representatives would be cut by 40 per cent.
The Speaker maintained that the House would be more transparent regarding all public funds spent for the purpose of paying the salaries and allowances of legislators and assure that distinction is sufficently made between what a legislator actually earns and what is spent to run and implement legislative business and committee activities.
Under running costs, salaries and allowances of members, Tambuwal explained that the seventh session of the House “recognises the concerns raised by Nigerians about the jumbo pay of lawmakers. The watchword in financial issues will be fiscal conservatism”
Former Speaker Dimeji Bankole, ran a ‘collapse system’, merging all monies meant for the running of the House with the running of committee activities, leading to jumbo pay for the lawmakers.
But Tambuwal stated that all monies meant for specifics would be used for that purpose and Nigerians would be given opportunity to know what the House members were earning as salaries and what they earn as allowances.
He assured that the promotion of a viable and robust national economy would form the focus of the House as it works to support the emergence of a strong economy.
He said: “The seventh session of the House of Representatives will put in place legislative measures to achieve the best development outcome from government spending, including promotion of economic growth and social welfare.
“The thrust of the national budget should be effective prioritisation of spending on programmes within the national budget ensuring that adequate resources are available for spending on priority capital projects adoption of an effective Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and also effective monitoring of spending and of outcomes achieved-value for money”.
The Speaker maintained that the House would emphasise compliance with the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, including requirements that the executive shall seek input from the National Assembly in the preparation of MTEF.
He said: “MTEF shall be the basis for the preparation of the estimates of the annual national budget laid before the National Assembly, the executive shall at least 30 days before the deadline of the submission of its budget proposals place at the disposal of the National Assembly, including the net current revenue and the respective memorandum”.
While confirming the reduction in the allowances of members, it was revealed that at the executive session, the leadership resolved to yield to public outcry by reducing the salaries and allowances of the members by 40 per cent.
Peter Akpatason, representing Akoko-Edo Federal Constituency, Edo State, confirmed that the salaries and allowances of the members of the House do not reflect the jumbo pay.
Akpatason, a former President of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG), said “I’m not aware of any leakages but all I know is that we have just started. We are aware that the budget has been cut down by 40 per cent. What is responsible for that, I don’t know. But I’m aware that there is public outcry about the quantum of monies received by our predecessors. We have actually seen the breakdown for our own dispensation and one will rather think that certain elements are inadequate. I don’t see what people called bumper pay in what we have been offered here today. But, I don’t have access to what the breakdown of what our predecessors were paid, that is the situation.”
0 comments:
Post a Comment