Senator Shehu Sani Wednesday revisited how former Senate President, Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu saved him from his fellow lawmakers when he disclosed that each Senator gets N13.5 as running cost monthly.
Sani, a former lawmaker and human rights activists, who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District, recalled ‘spill the beans’ when he told Nigerians that the said monthly take home was in addition to the over N750,000 monthly consolidated salary and allowances of each member of the Senate.
His ‘controversial’ revelation was against the backdrop of outcry that greeted lawmakers’ expensive lifestyle and take home amids cash crunch.
But while going back down memory lane, Sani said it took the intervention of the leadership of the house before the tension doused, saying his colleagues were calling for his head for making such revelations.
The former lawmaker, who was a keynote speaker, stated this on Wednesday while speaking at 2024 Law Week and the 14th edition of St. Thomas Moore Public Lecture.
The lecture with the theme; “Recalibrating Nigeria’s Federal Structure and Development Dynamics were at the instance of the National Association of Catholic Lawyers, Abuja chapter.
In her welcome speech at the event, the association President, Bunmi Aina-Craig esq, called for complete devolution of power to states and other units.
Former deputy governor of Anambra state, Mrs Stella Odife, was the Chairperson at the occasion, while Dr Victor Odoeme of the Faculty of Law, Veritas University and Professor Joshua Eslim Alobo, a human rights advocate and professor of law and jurisprudence, Sir Magaji Mato Ibrahim, SAN were discussants at the public lecture.
Speaking at the occasion, the former lawmaker lauded the organisers for choosing the topic, saying it was apt and in line with the age-long courageous leadership and clarity of purpose that the catholic is known for.
According to him, the catholic were never afraid to speak truth to power, adding: “The likes of Mathew Kukah and Olubunmi Okogie among others not only maintained a standing record of standing for justice and democracy, they have also maintained the principle and never stayed at the opposite side of justice.
On restructuring, Sani advocated true federalism as the way out, insisting that we only pride ourselves in a federation but are we practicing a federal system?.
He said, “Are we actually practicing a federal system? We have seen how it works elsewhere. It works where everyone knows its power, limits and responsibilities.
“But in our own system, the most powerful person is the president and our governors are second most powerful. Everything starts and ends with them.
“Today, the country is facing a series of political and security challenges because we refuse to do those things we should ideally do.
“Promise of restructuring has gone down the drain but we must tell ourselves the fundamental truth and that is only if Nigeria political elites agree to restructure Nigeria.
“Our problem today is refusal to govern our country based on the rule we wrote by ourselves. But we are a country that blames everything for our woes except ourselves. We blame Lord Lugard, the constitution and even God.
Are we conforming to what we wrote, he asked?”
While chiding former administration of President Buhari for not containing terrorism and spate of banditry that held the northern zone in the jugular, he also placed the blame at the door steps of northerners who refused to speak out.
“Buhari’s administration was sustained by sectionalism, religious and ethnic solidarity despite over N5 trillions spent on security.
“It was during his regime that bandits and terrorists were given northern farmers ‘pass’ to enter their own farms.” Sani added.
He however lauded President Bola Tinubu’s government, saying in the last one year or so, there has been progress as a significant number of the terrorists and bandits have been eliminated.
Sani then lauded the President Tinubu on his stance on the much-craved local governments’ autonomy, saying it was the right path to toe.
