A recent newspaper report to the effect that senators who served in the immediate past National Assembly received over N73 billion in four years as running cost for their offices without effectively retiring the expenditure is quite alarming. Although some principal officers in that assembly denied not retiring the money, the kernel of the matter is that members of the 8th National Assembly collected a whooping N150 billion in just four years under a bogus sub-head of “running cost.” This is not only reprehensible but also a great disservice to a nation whose economy is in direstrait with decrepit infrastructure.
According to the report, the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) does not have provision for running cost for members of the National Assembly. Although sections 1709, 1783 and 1796 of the Financial Regulations provide that no further advance would be given unless retirement on previous ones are made, but up to the end of the eighth senate, the lawmakers did not render account of how they spent the money they received as running cost. It was found that releases for running cost, which were requested through memos addressed to the senate president, were made to the senators on monthly basis through vouchers.
Investigations revealed that then Senate President Bukola Saraki received the highest amount in running cost to the tune of N2,092,038,411.36 in four years. A breakdown indicated that he got a monthly payment of N43,584,133.57 which translated to N523,009,602.84 annually as running cost. He was closely followed by his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, who received N1, 534,862,352 within the same period. He received a monthly running cost of N31, 976, 299 which amounted to N383,715, 588 per annum. Also, the office of then senate leader, which was initially occupied by Mohammed Ali Ndume, received N1,103,838,402.72 as running cost within the same period. The annual advances for the office stood at N275,959, 600.68 based on a monthly sum of N22,996, 633.39 as running cost.
The then Minority Leader, Philip Tanimu Aduda, and Chief Whip, Olusola Adeyeye, received N798,969,443.52 each in four years as running cost. Each of them got N16, 645,196.74 monthly and N199,742,360.88 annually within the period in review. Investigations further showed that the remaining five principal officers during the last senate – deputy senate leader, deputy chief whip, deputy minority leader, minority whip and deputy minority whip – received N14,717,858.17 monthly each as office running cost which cumulatively amounted to N3,532,265,960.80 in four years. The remaining 99 senators received N13,408,630.7 monthly, amounting to N160, 903,565.40 each. The total sum received by all the 99 senators in four years as running cost stood at N643,614,273.60.
Memos/payment raised by principal officers and other senators to the office of then senate president, requesting for office running cost as well as payments advanced to them through vouchers, indicated that the lawmakers individually or collectively received payments in respect of requests for running cost through vouchers duly stamped and entered into the National Assembly’s vote book. For instance, in September 2016, a memo was raised for 99 ‘Distinguished Senators’ titled “Request for Office Running Cost,” for the total sum of N1,327,454,440. A breakdown contained in the request indicated that each of the senators applied for N217,800,000 for local travel; N297,000,000 for international travel; N69,3000,000 for office stationeries; N4,950,000 for books; N4,950,000 for newspapers and N99,000,000 for magazines.
Similarly, each of the senators sought approval for the sum of N54,450,000 for printing of non-security documents; N44,550,000 for maintenance of motor vehicle; N54,450,000 for maintenance of IT and computers; N297,000,000 for consulting and professional services general; N99,000,000 for international training; N69,000,000 for local training; N4,950,000 for motor vehicle fuel cost; N49,5000,000 for lubricant cost; N4,950,000 for refreshment and N45,404,440 for postage and courier services. Payment in respect of the requested amounts totalling N1,327,454,440.00 was advanced through a single voucher but it was unclear how the retirements (if any) were made.
However, the immediate past Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, said before leaving office on June 6, 2019, he duly retired all funds allocated as running cost to his office as President of the Senate between June 2015 and May 2019. In the same vein, former Senate Leader Mohammed Ali Ndume said it was not true that monies paid to senators in the last National Assembly were not retired. “I don’t think senators go away without retiring their running costs. Apart from the office of internal auditors, the National Assembly is also subjected to external auditors. Therefore, any money that is being paid to us must be retired and this is the same with any member of the National Assembly. I have retired my own”.
Notwithstanding the refutal, it is inexplicable that those elected to serve the people by making laws for the good governance of the country are instead fleecing the same people through frivolous claims that neither reflect the nation’s economic status nor are proportional or equitable to its income distribution. We, therefore, urge the current National Assembly to review the so-called running cost with a view to pruning it down or scrapping it entirely. The Muhammadu Buhari administration’s fight against corruption will remain a huge joke if an issue like this is left unchecked.
