Members of the House of Representatives
on Wednesday launched an agitation for a
N7m increase in their quarterly
allowances, barely 24 hours after resuming
from a two-month recess.
Each member of the House currently enjoys
N27m per quarter as allowances but the
lawmakers want the sum jerked up to N35m,
The PUNCH learnt.
Speaker of the House, Aminu Tambuwal,
reportedly had a hectic time calming frayed
nerves at an executive session on Wednesday.
Some of the lawmakers, in seeking an
increased allowance, at the closed door session,
reportedly raised questions of financial
impropriety against the leadership of the House.
They reportedly questioned how the "N5m"
budgeted for each member's medical expenses
and insurance was utilised by the House.
One of the lawmakers at the session told our
correspondent that "transparency and
accountability were the main issues discussed
at the executive session."
"There are 360 members; we have funds
budgeted for medical allowances and insurance.
"If you put aside some funds for these sub-
heads, which is about N5m, we have to know
how this money is being utilised."
Tambuwal was said to have used the session,
which lasted for over two hours, to explain to
his aggrieved colleagues that the leadership
was transparent in the running of House
accounts.
A source said he explained that the delay in the
payment of pending allowances was caused by
paucity of funds.
The speaker reportedly tried to convince
members that there was the need to prudently
manage resources.
He reportedly called for the account books of
the House in a bid to convince his colleagues
that no lawmaker's funds had been taken for
any unofficial purposes.
The PUNCH had stumbled on a text message
circulated to members before Wednesday's
session by some lawmakers, who said they were
launching a project to clean up the House.
The text message had invited members to a
meeting originally scheduled for the Transcorp
Hilton Hotel, Abuja on Thursday (today).
Investigations revealed that the House quickly
went into an executive session on Wednesday in
a bid to stop the meeting and use the
opportunity to clear the air on any misgivings.
The text reads, "This is inviting all first term
members of the House of Representatives to an
urgent meeting and launching of the Project
"OPERATION CLEAN." Date; 20th Sept. 2012.
Venue-Transcorp Hilton, Abuja Time: 11am
prompt."
However, following what a member described
as "the elaborate explanations by the Speaker",
the conveners of the meeting were reportedly
"satisfied and saw reason to call off the
meeting."
The Chairman, House Committee on Media and
Public Affairs, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, however
denied that issues of increased allowances and
use of the House funds were mentioned at the
executive session.
"It is not true; there was nothing like that as far
as I am concerned," Mohammed said in a reply
to The PUNCH enquiries.
He said the executive session deliberated on a
meeting held between President Goodluck
Jonathan, the President of the Senate, David
Mark, and Tambuwal on Tuesday night.
Mohammed claimed that the Speaker used the
session to inform members on what transpired
between the three leaders at the Aso Rock Villa.
According to him, Jonathan raised the
opposition by the National Assembly to the
planned introduction of the N5000 note by the
Central Bank of Nigeria with Mark and
Tambuwal.
"He (Speaker) told members that the President
was under the impression that the National
Assembly queried the Executive on the policy",
Mohammed stated.
But, he said Mark and Tambuwal took time to
explain to Jonathan why the proposed N5000
note was not necessary.
He added that the two leaders of the National
Assembly told Jonathan that they had a
constitutional responsibility to protect the
wishes of Nigerians, whose suffering would be
worsened by the N5000 denomination.
However, a separate source, who attended the
meeting, confided in The PUNCH that Jonathan
hinted that he would direct the Governor of the
CBN, Mr. Lamido Sanusi, to stop the proposed
policy, having heard the position of the National
Assembly.
"It is a good thing that Mr. President has
promised to ask Sanusi to stop this N5000
issue.
"He gave Mark and Tambuwal the assurance",
the source disclosed.
The Chairman of a major committee of the
House, also said, "take it from me; Mr.
President has said he would stop the policy.
Source: PUNCH Newspaper
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