Advocates of #EndSARS have taken their campaign to another level, by beaming searchlight on the often-talked-about huge salaries of senators and members of the House of Representatives in the nation’s National Assembly.
The #ENDSARS campaign began a week ago following the killing of a young man by a team of the now disbanded Special Anti-robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police in front of Wetland Hotel, Ughelli in Delta State.
The ugly episode, the footage of which still trends on social media, shows the armed officers speeding off in the victim’s vehicle – a white Lexus SUV.
Although, following the massive protests across the country, the Federal Government through the inspector general of Police, Mohammed Adamu, disbanded the SARS, and President Muhammadu Buhari has also made a statement to that effect, as demanded by the protesters, the agitators have continued to demand other things.
Read Also: #ENDSARS protest continue to grow in Lagos, Rivers, Kaduna, Oyo
Latest on the list of fresh demands is that government must “End Senators and Reps’ salaries.”
For many years, the huge salaries and sundry allowances of members of the National Assembly have continued to resent many citizens with majority calling for part time legislative work, to save the country from the needless financial hemorrhage.
In August 2015, shortly after he took over power from Goodluck Jonathan, President Muhammadu Buhari had issued an order directing the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to address public outcry over huge salaries and allowances of members of the National Assembly.
At that time, reports had it that the chairman of the commission, Elias Mbam had promised that senators and members of the House of Representatives would earn less than N1million by the end of next month (September of that year).
It was not certain if there were significant reduction following the President’s directive. But what is not contestable is that the huge takings by members of the nation’s bicameral legislature have continued to elicit anger in a country where majority of the citizens live below poverty line.
Following the presentation last Thursday of the 2021 Budget by President Buhari, many Nigerians heavily condemned the N128 billion earmarked for the National Assembly.
Recall that Buhari had presented a record N13 trillion budget for 2021 to members of the National Assembly.
The spending plan is about 21percent rise from the revised 2020 spending plan of 10.8 trillion naira. The budget assumes crude production of 1.86 million barrels a day and an oil price of $40 per barrel with the exchange rate at N379 to $1, Buhari said.
Nigeria’s National Assembly – House of Representatives and the Senate got N128 billion in the 2021 budget in the plan, while N380.21billion was proposed for the health ministry. He also proposed N127billion for capital expenditure in Education. N3.8 trillion was allocated to all ministries, departments and agencies for the execution of capital projects.
Observers told Businessday that going by the unfortunate state of affairs in the country, the #ENDSARS protest could snowball into a long campaign of the kind of the Arab Spring.
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