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| Mr Femi Falana |
by: Onwuka Nzeshi in Abuja
Legal luminary and human rights activist, Mr Femi Falana
(SAN), Thursday challenged members of the National Assembly to declare publicly their pay package to prove
or dispel the widely held perception that they are the richest parliamentarians
in the world.
Falana spoke in Abuja at a special parliamentary session to mark the second anniversary of the
seventh House of Representatives;
an event that attracted members of the
academia, civil society groups, human rights activists, traditional rulers as well
as former presiding officers of the House.
The demand came just as
some eminent politicians warned
against the consequences of absence of internal democracy among political
parties in Nigeria.
Falana said over the
last two years, the federal legislators
had suffered so much from poor public perception and it was in their own interest to be
transparent about what they earn.
He said last year, while the National Assembly drew N150
billion from the national budget, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), had N300 billion as its budget.
According to Falana, given the lifestyle of the legislators
and the way their constituents swarm around them seeking favours, many Nigerians believe the statement credited
to an eminent scholar, Professor Itse Sagay (SAN), that the members of the
National Assembly were the highest paid
legislators in the world.
“In order to end the diversionary controversy on the matter
I had, in Femi Falana Vs National Assembly, challenged the constitutional
validity of the jumbo emoluments of federal legislators. But the Federal High Court upheld the objection of the
defendants that the plaintiff lacked the
locus standi to maintain the suit.
“While I was ruminating over the verdict, the same court
directed the defendant in LEPAD vs National Assembly to disclose the details of
the salary and allowances of members of the National Assembly to Nigerians in
line with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011,” he said.
Falana lamented that
rather than complying with the judgment, the National Assembly had curiously taken the matter to the Court of
Appeal.
He urged the National Assembly to exhibit transparency and
maturity on the issue to lay to rest the jumbo pay controversy.
He said the House had
done well in the last two years but must guard against the incursion of
reactionary forces who might want to break its ranks.
Falana who also commented on the recent emergency rule
declared in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States, endorsed the position of the House
on the proclamation.
According to him, the lower chamber was right when it
rejected the clause which sought to give President Goodluck Jonathan access to
the statutory allocations of the three troubled states.
“The House of Representatives deserves kudos for striking
out the provisions of the emergency regulations which had empowered the
president to spend the statutory allocations of the affected states and local
governments on prosecuting the war against terror. The decision of the House
cannot be faulted on the authority of the case of Attorney-General of Lagos
State v Attorney-General of the Federation (2005) 2 WRN 1, where the Supreme
Court held that the president has no power or control whatsoever over funds
allocated to local governments under section 162 of the Constitution,” he
added.
He also commended the decision of the National Assembly to
insist on the full implementation of the nation’s budget, saying the resolution
was in line with the tenets of the rule
of law.
Earlier, Speaker of the House, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, had rendered an account of his stewardship in
the last two years. According to him,
512 were presented to the chamber
during the period and all of the bills
had passed first readings.
Similarly, Tambuwal said 60 bills had been passed into law,
while one 134 were undergoing
legislative action, having undergone second reading and were at the committee
stage.
Some of the bills passed include NNDC Statutory
Appropriation Act; State of the Nation Address Act; Violence against Persons
(Prohibition) Act; and Terrorism
(Prevention) Act.
Furthermore, Tambuwal said
over 700 motions were raised on the floor and resolutions passed on
matters of concern to the citizens such as national disasters, communal
violence, governmental oppression, among others.
In a goodwill message to the House, Special Adviser to the
President on National Assembly Matters,
Senator Joy Emodi, commended the
lawmakers for their innovative approach to
the review of the 1999 Constitution.
She said the public sessions held across the 360 federal
constituencies took legislation closer to the people.
Former Speaker of the House, Alhaji Ghali Na’Abba, who spoke
shortly after, harped on the need for internal democracy in political parties in Nigeria, adding that
internal democracy would ensure fairness and competitiveness in the leadership
recruitment process.
He decried the situation where the political parties have
jettisoned primary elections and resorted to dashing party tickets to
whomsoever the party godfathers chose.
He condemned the practice where an elected president or
governor becomes the leader of his party while the leadership of the party
becomes puppets in hands of an individual.
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