Still on the lawmakers’ wardrobe allowance

Certainly Nigeria needs prayer if in spite of the hard economic condition of the country, few people, a total of  109 senators and  360 House of Representatives  members out of the over 160 million Nigerians  would get  N506.600 each as wardrobe allowance. Haba!In addition, this is not the only ‘allawee’ they are getting by the […]

Certainly Nigeria needs prayer if in spite of the hard economic condition of the country, few people, a total of  109 senators and  360 House of Representatives  members out of the over 160 million Nigerians  would get  N506.600 each as wardrobe allowance. Haba!
In addition, this is not the only ‘allawee’ they are getting by the way. There are many such as furniture allowance among others, but probably what annoys people most is the wardrobe allowance.
And these are the people that are supposed to represent the people and therefore their interests, but this show of greed and insensitivity indicates that they are more or less representing themselves and their interests.
Apparently you will only find them fighting over positions  and other things that affect their welfare, but not on behalf of people they claim to represent and on whose mandate they are getting unimaginable riches.
The outrageous amount of money spent to sustain our lawmakers make people to doubt our type of democracy and some call for part-time legislators, because the people cannot be taken for granted, while few live ostentatious life at their own expense.
When the story first broke, the amount was said to be N8.64bn for the wardrobe allowance, but even after the Chairman, Revenue Moblisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) Engineer Elias Mbam said it was actually N506.00 per legislator per annum, and that it was 25 percent of the basic salary, when he visited the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, people are not satisfied.
From the look of things they will say the salary is not much at about a million naira (ask the minimum wage earner), but they find ways of putting a lot of allowances that if one doesn’t get the salary one would not feel the pinch.
The National Assembly ostensibly reduced its budget from N150 billion to N120 billion, but people still see it as not well enough.
The faction of Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC) threatened to call for civil disobedience because of these allowances.
The Joe Ajaero-led Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) faction said the reduction of the National Assembly’s budget from N150 billion to N120 billion “is too token and not far reaching enough”.
It threatened a mass revolt should the lawmakers and the executive fail to bring down their recurrent expenses.
However, the lawmakers are on the defensive, saying they are not the only ones getting these jumbo salaries, but does it make it right?
 Although I quite agree that others that get similar salaries, such a ministers should also have their own looked into and reduced to suit the times we are in.
Nonetheless, why people are so angry at the lawmakers’ salaries is because they are ‘representatives’ of the people who were voted to make laws that would bring development to the people. They certainly didn’t vote for them to be getting millions of naira.
People you know are not wealthy by any standard, but as soon as they become lawmakers, within a short time, their level don change. They would buy houses around, demolish them and build mansions, they are always on hajj and umra (lesser hajj), and they are on medical trips and go to Dubai for shopping.  All made possible because of the outrageous jumbo allowances they get.
Meanwhile, some would hardly visit their constituencies and they don’t make contribution to the lawmaking.
Still some are of the opinion that the lawmakers should be paid a lot so that they can concentrate   and do their work instead of being worried about their financial problems by chasing contracts.
Well, they should decide, if they really want to work, or want to use their position to make riches, therefore the question of chasing contracts does no arise, because even with the jumbo salary they get some still engage in questionable dealings to make more money through ministries and agencies.
The money lavished at them goes into their heads and make them look down imperiously at the ‘common’ man. For example, Senator Ben Murray Bruce offered his wardrobe allowance to Osun State workers (and the widows of his community) to alleviate their suffering over months without being paid. This is an insult to say the least.
The lawmakers are supposed to represent the people and they should be seen to do so in every way and earning outrageous public money while their constituents are wallowing in poverty is definitely wrong and should be condemned.