Sanusi: Reps Make U-Turn …Publish Members’ Salaries, CPC Tells NASS

The House of Representatives yesterday changed its mind on its invitation to the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, to appear on the floor of the House.

The House, which was presided over by Deputy Speaker, Bayero Nafada, rather directed that the CBN governor should now appear before committees of the House of Appropriation, Banking, Drugs, Narcotic and Financial Crimes at a date to be determined by the committees.

Hon. Igo Aguma had raised a counter motion to that of the Senate Leader, Tunde Akogun for Sanusi’s appearance.

The CBN Governor was said to have arrived at the premises of the National Assembly by 10am prepared for his appearance.

The Tide gathered that the change of mind by the Reps was fallout of indications that Sanusi had come better prepared than he was when he made a similar appearance before the senate on Wednesday.

Sanusi had stood by his comment on the allegation that about 25 per cent of the nation’s budget was consumed by the National Assembly even when senators pointed out to him that his figures were inaccurate and misleading.

He was said to have arrived at the Reps wing of the National Assembly with loads of documents apparently to tackle members of the House of Representatives.

The House gave the committees one week to report back on the matter.

Meanwhile, the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) has showered praises on the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, for sticking with his position that 25% of the overhead of the Federal Budget is consumed by the National Assembly.

Sanusi was asked by the lawmakers to explain to them and to Nigerians how he came by the said figure but he couldn’t. He rather remained adamant that he was convinced that the lawmakers’ jumbo pay was digging a big hole in the nation’s treasury.

In a statement made available to our correspondent, National Publicity Secretary of the group, Osita Okechukwu said, “We salute Governor Sanusi’s courage and uncommon passion for public good in the midst of intimidation by hostile senators and at the risk of losing his job, he maintained his stoic stance that the NASS’s expenditure was bleeding heavily on the national treasury.

“We waited anxiously for Governor Sanusi in this hour and salute him for upholding his own ratings, for Nigerians hold in very high esteem the man who exposed the errant bankers who played casino with depositors’ funds.”

The CNPP suggested that the federal lawmakers were earning a lot more than the official emoluments approved by the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission.

“We challenge the NASS members to publicly tell the world whether they abide by the emolument and allowances benchmark prescribed by the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission {RMAFC}.

“Governor Sanusi talked only of the Report of the Budget Office but diplomatically did not expose the Trade Center antics of the NASS members and their food is ready economic policy; where instead of law making, they engage in contract sharing and contract splitting. This is the conduit pipe NASS members use to bleed our national treasury, subvert the Millennium Development Goals and undermine our decayed infrastructure.”

The group however prayed the National Assembly members to desist from haunting down people like Sanusi whom they described as a patriot and focus on saving the country’s democracy from the threat posed to it by the monumental corruption in the land. He said, “CNPP wishes to appeal to our Distinguished Senators and Honourable members to instead of haunting down brave patriots like Governor Sanusi; to graciously embark on soul searching, look inwards and as a matter of urgent national importance remove the specks in their eyes, which regrettably has converted the National Assembly into a Trade Center.”

Meanwhile, the Congress for Progress Change (CPC) yesterday called on the National Assembly to publish detailed facts concerning the basic salaries and allowances of its members for the sake of enhancing transparency in the public sector.

A statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr Aghanya Dennis in Abuja made the call in a reaction to the summon on the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Lamido Sanusi by the National Assembly.

“This observation has become very necessary in view of the recent summoning of the Central Bank Governor by the Senate to explain his claims that 25 per cent of overhead of the government’s revenue is spent on the National Assembly,” it stated.

The statement noted that constituted authorities should be allowed to function without any form of intimidation from any arm of government.

“Instead of summoning him in the usual manner of the NASS, his office should have been simply asked to forward its records to substantiate his claims,” the statement added.

The party further called on Nigerians “not to be intimidated by the incessant summoning by the National Assembly as they were selected to represent us”.