… as N29b likely pocketed in two months by Govs over failure
to form their cabinets since May 29
The appointment of 33 political aides including six media aides
by the Speaker of House of Reps (Green Chambers), Mr. Femi
Gbajabiamila, is nothing short of formation of ‘a State Executive
Council in the Green Chambers’. It is also a clear case of
legislative squander-mania, fiscal profligacy and rapacious abuse
of public office.
In an ambitious, focused, development and service oriented civil
or limited government including its bicameral or unicameral
parliament, a federal lower house or parliamentary speaker does not
suppose to have more or maximum of three-five aides. This is more
so when there are several standing committees and parliamentary
departments up and running in such legislative house including
Nigeria’s House of Reps.
Similarly, it has further been observed that the main reason
(dishonest and fraudulent) behind none formation of cabinets or
State Executive Councils in most, if not all the 29 States across
the country since May 29, is not only to replicate the Baba Go
Slow method of the Presidency, but also for purpose of
diverting and pocketing public funds meant for the remunerations of
the appointed public office holders’ slots in the said 29 the
States, numbering not less than 29, 000 or average of 1000 for each
of the States.
The above was the position of Int’l Society for Civil
Liberties & Rule of Law, Intersociety, as contained in
a statement issued today and signed by Lawyers Obianuju Joy
Igboeli, Head of Civil Liberties & Rule of Law Program, Chinwe
Umeche, Head of Democracy & Good Governance Program, Evangaline
Chidinma Udegbunam, Head of Campaign & Publicity Dept and Emeka
Umeagbalasi, a Criminologist & Graduate of Security Studies and
Board Chair of Intersociety.
A State Exco Council Called ‘Speaker’s 33
Political Aides’: As detailed by the Premium
Times, the new Speaker of House of Reps, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila now
parades a retinue of political aides numbering 33 including ‘six
media aides’. By his public admission that most of them are former
legislators, the Speaker has also magisterially, technically and
unconstitutionally expanded the number of rep seats above the
constitutionally allowed 360 to over 390. On the other hand, the
Speaker now forms and operates ‘a State Executive Council’ in the
House of Reps. In other words, by appointing 33 political aides and
possibly more in the nearest future, Speaker Gbajabiamila has
proclaimed himself as ‘the reincarnated Okotie-Ebo’ of our
time.
Formation of ‘a State Executive Council’ in the Green Chambers
by Speaker Gbajabiamila is like forming a State Executive Council
of 33 Commissioners and Special Advisers under normal and
constitutional circumstances or tantamount to over-bloated
‘Commissionership State Cabinet’ where a Governor abusively
appoints or forms a cabinet consists of 33 Commissioners. It is
also likely that the new Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan will toe
(if not already toed) similar profligacy friendly path of the
Speaker.
To keep the 33 over-bloated political aides or appointees at
‘former legislators’ category or lifestyle’, not less than N1m will
be spent on each of them every month, totaling not less than N33m
per month and N396m per annum. The N1m per month for each of the 33
political aides at ‘former legislators’ category’ mandatorily
includes hotel and feeding bills, transport and duty assignment
allowances, ‘PRs’ and take home pay or ‘pocket allowances, etc. The
above calculation, done, using N1m as a benchmark is very
conservative and may likely be in double.
Intersociety is deeply concerned and worried
because for too long particularly since 1999, profligacy and
squander-mania had overshadowed the art of tangible and intangible
executive and legislative administration or governance in Nigeria
particularly at Federal level and many, if not most States of the
Federation; whereby, it is ‘generate and borrow’, then ‘squander
and plunder’ all through. Through the Executive and Parliamentary
conspiracy in budgeting and fiscal expenditure matters, the chunk
of the generated and borrowed public funds had ended and still end
up in direct and proxy private pockets as well as white elephant
projects.
Codified corruption has not only crept into Nigerian public
expenditures but also permeated same. This is done through the
processes of ‘security votes’, ‘over-head or running costs’ and
‘legislative constituency projects’. Running of creative
governance in Nigeria is not only a past tense, but sadly, not
even ‘maintenance governance’ is available. Funds needed for
turnaround governance of the country are generated and borrowed to
end up not in the governance fields but in direct and proxy private
pockets.
N29b Lost To Zero States’
Cabinets: Intersociety has further
observed that not less than N29b is likely to have been lost or
made to end up in direct or proxy private pockets following the
failure of most, if not all the 29 State Governors to constitute
their cabinets or form their State Executive Councils since May 29.
The not less than N29b loss is projected to have been lost in two
months or months of June and July 2019, after the Governors were
sworn-in on 29th May 2019.
It is important to remind that in the last Governorship election
in Nigeria, seven States were exempted on account of the Supreme
Court ruling in Peter Obi v INEC & ors (2007) and from our last
checks, most, if not all the 29 State Governors are yet to form
their cabinets and get their governments fully running. Also from
our checks across the country, Federal allocations to the States
and their IGRs have steadily accrued since May 29, deposited to
their State coffers and expended in the form of ‘Monthly Wage
Bills’ for the months of May, June and July 2019.
That is to say that if a monthly wage bill of State A is N5b in
April and May 2019, got deducted from its State coffers and
expended on its political appointees and retired and serving
workforce remunerations as well as its running costs; then same
amount must have been deducted and expended for the months of June
and July 2019. From our checks, too, each of these 29 States had
maintained before May 29, 2019 not less than 1000 appointees
comprising commissioners, special advisers, senior special
assistants, special assistants, executive assistants and personal
assistants, etc. This is similarly the case in their State
Assemblies.
To keep these 1000 appointees in each of the 29 States, not less
than N500, 000 is spent monthly on each of them, covering
allowances for their rents, transport, feeding, duty assignment or
public functions, ‘PRs’ and take home pay, etc. This translates to
N500m per State monthly and N1b for the two months of June and July
2019, totaling not less than N29b. In other words, it is likely
correct to say that the failure of the affected States and their
Governors to form cabinets or State Executive Councils and keep
their governments fully running since May 29, has resulted in the
loss or pocketing of whopping sum of over N29b between June and
July 2019.
Proof Us Wrong: We challenge the 29 Govs to proof us wrong by
publicly publishing their expended monthly wage bills for the
months of June and July 2019 including security votes, over-heads
or running costs and sub personnel costs or remunerations of their
States’ serving and retired workforces. The July wage bills are
included in the instant case because by today being 18th
July 2019, the non overheads or running costs component of the
States’ Personnel Costs or Expenditures for July 2019 must
have been worked out and set for disbursements.