President of the senate, David Mark
Prominent
Nigerians have expressed their dissatisfaction with reports that the
principal officers of the National Assembly rejected the official
quarters built for them by the Federal Capital Development Authority,
describing the project as a waste of money and another means of
encouraging corruption.
This came as the principal members of the National Assembly denied ever rejecting any house.
The Minister of the Federal Capital
Territory, Bala Mohammed, had at a news conference in Abuja last
weekend, stated that the Senate President, David Mark, Speaker, House
of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal and their deputies, along with some
other principal officers, had rejected the N3bn official quarters being
built for them in Abuja.
Bala had cited insecurity and delay in
‘provision of infrastructure as reasons for the rejection of the
official residential buildings. But the National Assembly claimed that
the decision to abandon the buildings was that of the FCTA and not that
of the presiding officers of the National Assembly.
However, notable Nigerians on Thursday
condemned both the decision to build houses for the principal officers
and the rejection by the principal officers. They claimed the
development was iniquitous as it encouraged corruption.
A former President of the Academic Staff
Union of Universities, Prof. Festus Iyayi, said it was illogical for
the government to build another set of houses for the affected officers
of the Federal legislature only to sell to them again after the end of
their tenure.
Iyayi, who was also a former President
of the Association of Nigerian Authors, recalled that the official
quarters of the affected officers were sold to some of them in line with
the government’s policy on monetisation.
Iyayi said, “The first question you have
to ask yourself is what happened to the first houses for the principal
officers of the house during the Olusegun Obasanjo era.
“I think they want the contract to build
the houses. And I think it is wrong. You cannot sell the houses, and
build another set.”
The former Publicity Secretary of the
defunct Congress for Progressive Change, Rotimi Fashakin, described the
rejection of the building at Maitama extension and the move to build
fresh ones as “immoral and iniquitous.”
He criticised President Goodluck
Jonathan for allowing the corruption and waste of national resources by
the FCT Administration and the National Assembly. He alleged that
Jonathan supported the act because he needed the lawmakers to “do his
rigmarole and chicanery on Nigerians.”
Fashakin stated that the executive,
legislative and judiciary organs of government were so corrupt , adding
that the Central Bank Governor, Lamido Sanusi, was correct when he said
that 25 per cent of the national budget was consumed by about 500
Nigerians.
He said, “I am not surprised the
President gave anticipatory approval for the building of new quarters
for the National Assembly leadership because he needs them to do his
rigmarole and chicanery on Nigerians.
A former member of the House of
Representatives and the governorship candidate of the All Progressive
Grand Alliance in the 2003 governorship election in Imo State, Mr. Uche
Onyeagucha, described the action of the National Assembly leadership as
insensitive, unacceptable and deserving of a revolt.
The former lawmaker urged Nigerians to rise against the recurring incident of abuse of office by political office holders.
He said that Mark and other principal
members of the National Assembly had bought the official residences for
the Senate President and the Speaker, House of Representatives.
“I think it is the height of
insensitivity that the Senate President and the Speaker are rejecting
the houses in the midst of the mounting poverty in this country.
“It needs to be pointed out that the
previous houses for principal officers are still good enough for their
habitation. They actually set about building these ones to enable them
to buy the previous ones.”
But speaking on behalf of the principal
officers, the Chairman, Committee on House Services, Mr. Yakubu Dogara,
who claimed to have attended the meeting where the FCTA officials
briefed lawmakers on their change of plans, told Saturday PUNCH that it was the minister of the FCT that mooted the idea of discontinuing with the project due to security reasons.
He said, “This was entirely the idea of
the FCTA minister. Obviously, there was no contribution from the
leadership of the National Assembly at the meeting where he briefed
members on this issue.”
Also, the Chief Press Secretary to the
Senate President, Mr. Paul Mumeh, dismissed the allegations against his
principal as false.
He said, “To the best of our knowledge. There is no iota of truth in it (allegation).”
FCTA minister had said that the
President of the Senate, Dr. David Mark, and the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, rejected the N3bn official quarters
for principal officers of the National Assembly because of security
reasons.
PUNCH
No comments:
Post a Comment