…WHY THEY REVOLTED AGAINST PRESIDENT MUHAMADU BUHARI
DOM ZIMEGAPI
It has been revealed why members of the National Assembly are defecting to other political parties and joining forces to unseat President Muhammadu Buhari. First is the fact that the constitutionally approved Constituency Projects which is annually embedded in the Appropriation Act is now turning to night mare for the National Assembly members?
The reason is not far-fetched from the facts that each year about the sum of six billion naira N6b is allocated to the six Geo-political zones in the federation including Federal Capital Territory-FCT Abuja. And for the six states in South-South Zone where there are six states each is appropriated with the sum of One Billion naira. From an insider in the lower upper Chamber, who claims anonymity out of the one billion Naira-(N1b) mapped out in the Appropriation Act each of the 13 Federal Constituencies in Rivers state, gets N7.7m.
Worst still is the fact that members of the Green Chamber are not happy that President Muhammadu Buhari releases only forty percent 40% of the total sum of N7.7m which amounts to N3m to each of the 13 Federal Constituency. And it is most disheartening how the contracts are awarded without the input of the federal lawmakers as members of the executive arm of Government use the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of Government to have these projects done. Most of the time the Federal Lawmakers may not have control or choice of the contractor only the contact address of his Aide is required and who may be called upon by the contracting firm to identify the company carrying out the job.
And the monthly take home pay of each Federal House of Representatives member may not be more than six hundred and fifty thousand naira-N650. As allowance for oversight function of the Federal Lawmaker is pegged at two Hundred and fifty Thousand Naira-N250, 000. Whereas each member is not expected to fly by air in anything more than Economy class. Generally each member is expected to use ordinary room at any hotel that they will stay.
If you think that the Federal Lawmakers in this 8th National Assembly are wondering how years past Presidents present Annual budgets and lobby members of National Assembly with the sum of thirty thousand United States of America Dollar-$30,000 and in no distance time the budget will be passed into law. But the 2018 Federal Appropriation Bill was presented by President Muhammadu Buhari with any fund made available to Federal Lawmakers. That is one of the reasons why it took about eight months for 2018 Appropriation Act to have been passed into law by the 8th National Assembly. And the effect of the highhandedness from Mr. President is the clarion call by the members to have him either impeached or the enraged lawmakers having defection to other political parties of PDP, ADC and APGA as a weapon of change of leadership at Aso Rock Villa Abuja.