The Nation Newspaper

Tag: jumbo

  • From jumbo pay to life pension

    Sir: Bayelsa State made headlines lately when the state House of Assembly hastily passed a bill granting life pensions worth hundreds of thousands to its members and former members. Good enough, Governor Seriake Dickson refused to sign the bill into law citing inconsistencies with the constitution, illegality, no earlier precedence by any state of the federation and that the Bayelsa has more pressing issues.

    While still trying to catch our breaths, few days ago, Kano State House Assembly passed into law the Pensions Rights of Speaker and Deputy Law, 2019. This bill makes provisions for life pensions to be paid, new cars bought every four years and foreign medical trip for any person that held the prime positions of the assembly. There are also reports that Ekiti State too has prepped a similar bill for the signature of Governor Kayode Fayemi.

    Well, it is right that workers get their pay after years of meritorious service, and should be entitled to pensions for the rest of their lives. However, the offensive packages planned for these public officers deserve the attended public outcry.

    The first thing to consider is that political office is not the regular 35-year civil service job. Political office holders like governors and legislators are contracted to do their assignments through elections, and so, should not be entitled to pensions like regular civil servants. It is like making provision for special pensions for sportsmen or artistes after earning millions in their active days or from endorsements for certain brands and image rights.

    Even if one argues in their favour, the premise of such argument remains faulty since their brief stay in political office benefits them much more than what they would have earned in 35 years as civil servants. As accessories in the furniture of governance, they enjoy various allowances from the ridiculous to the bizarre, while civil servants are owed for months. This is what makes these pensions immoral and unacceptable.

    Coupled with the fact that these former executives and legislators leave government mansions to become senators, ministers, ambassadors or other top positions, implying that they are still being doubly fed by taxpayers that have been deprived the basic things of life. They receive salaries for their present offices and on the other hand make pensions from their previous seats. Painting another picture, imagine a senior civil servant getting a political appointment and then becomes an adviser of a governor some time later and this fellow is entitled to steady pensions from his former and latter offices. While they luxuriate in this, the ordinary pensioners are left stranded on verification queues.

    These pensions must be halted urgently because this insidious gesture to speakers will spread to other state Houses of Assembly and their deputies. In the discussion would be local government chairmen, their assistants and councilors who will from June 1, get their allocations directly from the federal purse.

    These pensions if not upturned could do more harm to the fight against corruption and free, fair and transparent elections. When an individual knows that winning an election settles his financial needs for life, he would do everything possible to win the seat. It also destroys the psyche of the youths who are increasingly seeing that the conventional 8-to-4 daily work schedules have no social security in them. This is evident as youths now pick role models from entertainment, sports and politics.

    Discontinuing this act would involve more than Socio-Economic Right and Accountability Project (SERAP) urging governors from signing such bills. It would require changing our entire economic structure. Until we change this “feeding bottle” structure where states line up monthly for allocations from the multi-breasted centre (Abuja), we will continue to spend our oil wealth on frivolities like pensions for former political office holders. True fiscal federalism should see states look inwards to generate revenue for their sustenance while remitting agreed percentages to the centre. This way, Nigerians will become more judicious with our resources.

    Moreover, the overall economy must be improved quickly so that people’s worth is not only defined by political positions as is the case now. The economic team, under the strict supervision of the president, should ensure more of such personalities can be produced easily by improving the economy.

     

    • Ayodele Okunfolami, Festac, Lagos.
  • Jumbo out with ‘Omo Boy’

    Jumbo out with ‘Omo Boy’

    Slon Records signee, Olawale Michael Ogunleye, artistically known as Jumbo, has dropped a new song titled ‘Omo Boy.’

    The afro-song, a motivational song which is currently enjoying airplay on some radio stations was produced by Mystro Beat.

    The ‘Omo Boy’ crooner who holds Dbanj, Olamide and Davido as role models has set a target for himself to be the next superstar with his style of afro-pop.

    Jumbo, who is in his early 20s started music as a chorister, and professionally kicked off with studio production in 2011. He currently has three singles – ‘Good Life’, ‘Oreke’ and ‘Ariya’ – to his credit ditto.

    Jumbo who studied Computer Science at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) recently signed with Slon Records and penned a management deal with M4 Synergy limited.

     

  • Jumbo offer for visitors at exhibition

    Many innovations and benefits await participants at the 16th Nigeria International Book Fair scheduled to kicksoff today at the University of Lagos, said the chairman Nigeria Book Fair Trust (NBFT), Alhaji Rilwanu Abdulsalami.

    A statement signed by Mr. Abiodun Omotubi NBFT Executive Secretary, stated that drama, poetry and cultural display, as well as free internet facilities, will form a part of the activities.

    As against past editions, Abdulsalami said the exhibition would also witness government representation.

    “Unlike in the past a more noticeable presence of government officials will take place this year as top members of the executive and legislative arms of government have indicated interest in participating at the fair, “he said.

    He said visitors to the fair would enjoy buying books and other learning materials at discounted rates, in addition to access to the latest local and foreign titles and exposure to national and global updates on the new developments in the book industry.

    Aside the platform as a confluence between authors and publishers, there will also be discounted books and other learning materials for bulk purchases by proprietors, librarians or any other stakeholder, said Omotubi.

  • One Hallelujah gifts Adeboye jumbo greeting card

    One Hallelujah gifts Adeboye jumbo greeting card

    One Hallelujah Records, the official record label established by the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), presented a jumbo greeting card to Pastor Adeboye on his 75th birthday.

    The card was signed by over 5000 adults and youths that were present at the RCCG Youth Centre and the presentation coincided with the closing of the 75 Hours Messiah Marathon Praise which held in nine countries on March 2, 2017

    A director of the record label noted during the event that OHR is glad to have successfully constructed and handled the delivery of the greeting card measuring a height of 35ft by a width of 48ft in conjunction with Boomerang Communication Solution Limited.

    Artistes signed to the One Hallelujah Records such as Nathanel Bassey, Bukola Beke, Tosin Bee, Rebecca Ogolo, Michael Akingbala, Femi Okunuga, MOZ and Pastor Kunle Ajayi performed at the event.

  • Jumbo prizes for LearnAfrica awardees

    From Tuesday, November 15 through to Wednesday, December 7, nearly 140 potential awardees comprising students, teachers and schools will be honoured courtesy of LearnAfrica Education Development Foundation.

    The awards, which  are in two categories, national and state, are to honour candidates, teachers, as well as their schools for standing tall in the June/July 2016 NECO SSCE.

    “The awards will be presented to students, teachers and schools who by their dint of hard work, diligence, commitment and extraordinary achievements, have become role models for others,” said a statement by Learn Africa Education Development Foundation, which is the corporate social responsibility arm of Learn Africa Plc.

    At the national level, the trio of Egbunu Mudi Gabriel, Suleiman Ibrahim and Osemeke Ogorchukwu Mary, emerged three overall candidates in first, second and third positions respectively.

    Interestingly too, the trio are from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Egbunu and Ibrahim are from the School for the Gifted, Gwagwalada, while Osemeke is a pupil of Louisville Senior Girls Secondary School, Gwagwalada.

    In addition, a quartet also emerged overall best candidates in four selected subjects. Akpeti Loyalty Ayakpo of Delta Careers College, Effurun (Delta State) won in the Mathematics category, while  Iremiren Isaiah Izien of Rainbow College, Moba (Ogun State) dwarfed others in English Language.  Enenmoh Ikechukwu Augustine of Marist Comprehensive College, Nteje (Anambra State) won Dr Ameyo Stella Adadevoh Prize for the Best Grade in Biology, while John Felix Temitope of Knoxfield Comprehensive College, Ijoko-Ota (Ogun State) slammed others to clinch the J. F. Ade-Ajayi Prize for the Best Grade in History

    At the state level, 111 candidates comprising three best performing across each state, including the FCT, will collect prizes at 13 award centres located in Ikeja, Kano, Ibadan, Zaria, Jos, Enugu, Benin City, Owerri, Akure, Ilorin, Abuja, Onitsha and Port Harcourt.

    Similarly, 37 teachers from the school of the first prize winner in each state and FCT will receive special recognition in appreciation of their excellent contributions to the awardees’ success. The Foundation will also donate books to the libraries of all the schools that produced the three best performing candidates in each state and the Federal Capital Territory. The apogee which is the presentation of national award will hold at the Renaissance Hotel, Ikeja on Wednesday, December 7.

    On the initiative Chairman of the organisation, Chief Emeke Iwerebon, appealed to governments and corporate bodies to further encourage the awardees.

    “I hope that this initiative will continue to encourage our youth to make necessary efforts to achieve great results in their academic pursuits,” he said.

     

  • NASS jumbo pay

    • The problem is not the basic salary but the magical allowances

    A pressure group, the Movement for Nigeria’s Total Transformation (MNTT), has perhaps raised the most profound query over National Assembly’s (NASS) hefty pay.

    “From 1999 to 2003, he earned N6million a year, from which he paid his aides,” MNTT quoted a South West senator, in the first senate of the present dispensation.  “What fortune has befallen Nigeria, that made N6 million a year for each senator, from 1999 to 2003, become N48 million a year, which is now N4 million a month, as disclosed by the RMAFC chairman?”

    The body, chaired by Chief Areoye Oyebola, former editor of the defunct Daily Times, was reacting to a claim by Elias Ebam, Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), which constitutional role was to fix salaries and emoluments of political office holders.

    What has happened between 1999 and now — NASS has got more opaque and progressively brazen in helping itself to the common wealth it is constitutionally charged to guard and fairly appropriate? And RMAFC, progressively defanged, it could only wring its hands and point, near sotto voce, to an all-powerful culprit, NASS?

    To be fair, the public has been trenchant from the very beginning. But it would appear Nigerians could only bark, not bite. And horrors of horrors: by exclusively passing its own budget, and proceeding to share the pork among its members as it deemed fit, NASS is guilty of incestuous budgeting.

    That, indeed, does great violence to the doctrine of separation of powers; and its twin, checks-and-balances, on which presidentialism is anchored; and on which constitutionally robust platform NASS earned its over-sight function.

    It is therefore a condemnable case of wilful oversight, for NASS, by its opaque budgeting, to brazenly corner a mighty chunk of the common wealth, leaving the people, its electoral masters, to wallow in poverty. That is absolutely unacceptable.

    But even now, nobody appears sure of any fact — so near-impregnable is NASS’s fiscal opacity — beyond the jumbo yearly NASS budget of N150 billion, since 2010. Premium Times, an online newspaper claims, after an investigation, that the 360 members of the House of Representatives gross a yearly N6.58 billion, in salaries and allowances. The corresponding figure for the 109-member Senate is N2.14 billion.

    From the RMAFC, however, there is no definitive figure, not on the extant basic salary, not on allowances, only a plaintive moan from Mr. Ebam, that no NASS member should earn more than N1million a month, at the end of its current review. That certainly is not good enough. How could the RMAFC have been so remiss in its constitutional duty of over-seeing the pay of public office holders, elected and appointed?

    Mr. Ebam pleads poor funding; and argues RMAFC should be financially autonomous, by charging its funds to the Consolidated Revenue Fund. He also calls for power to enforce its recommendations. That is not unreasonable, though the call for charge into the Consolidated Fund smells like some fiscal empire building, which should not be necessary, had there been good faith all round. Anyway, whatever help RMAFC needs, to ensure sanity in public holders’ salaries, it should get.  But the practicability of any radical amendment to the extant law appears dim, since NASS would be crucial to the process, since its forte is law-making.

    Whatever it takes, the Buhari Presidency should do all it could to aid RMAFC right all the wrongs, in this lopsided salary scandal. NASS, for its public image and brand equity, should also cooperate. And if it doesn’t, the courts should weigh in to pronounce on any constitutional grey areas.

    In the final analysis, what to focus on is not the basic salaries, per se, but those magical allowances, which appear unconscionably loaded. More transparency in executive procedures would instantly cut out the  ever-recurring sleaze in legislative over-sight functions, which make many a legislator hanker after “juicy committees”. More on the executive: it must also drastically cut down on the perks of ministers and allied presidential appointees. It is no use roasting elected legislators, but letting presidential appointees wallow in their own unearned luxuries.

    Government is to serve but not to be served. The earlier this ethos is imbibed, the better Nigerian governments would maximally utilise scarce resources, ensure economic growth, and deliver development and ultimate prosperity.

  • Lawmakers and their jumbo pay

    Lawmakers and their jumbo pay

    Senators are under attack over the rejection of pay cut. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines the implications of the senators’ decision on the nation’s economy and the  integrity of the National Assembly.

    Nigerians are angry with the senators for rejecting a pay cut as recommended by the Finance Committee of the National Assembly. Prominent opinion leaders expressed shock that the lawmakers are not bothered about the parlous state of the nation’s economy. They said the law makers insistence on the jumbo salaries, shows they are insensitive to the plight of average Nigerians who  have been short changed by those entrusted  with the commonwealth.

    The salaries and allowances of the National Assembly members have been subject of debate over the years. Many believe it was outrageous when compared to what their counterparts in other climes earn. Others argued that Nigerian economy can’t sustain it.  Though the basic salary of the National Assembly members is not in contest but the outrageous allowances they fixed for themselves. The mind bogging allowances include: Accommodation (Senator N4m, Rep N3.9m); Vehicle loan (Senator N8m, Rep N7.94m); Furniture (Senator N6m, Rep N5.9m); severance gratuity (Senator N6m, N5.9m).

    They also include motor vehicle fuelling and maintenance (Senator N1.5m, Rep N1.4m); constituency (Senator N5m, Rep N1.9m);  domestic staff (Senator N1.5m, Rep N1.4m) Personal Assistant  (Senator N506, 600, Rep N496, 303); Entertainment (Senator N607, 920, Rep N595, 563); recess (Senator N202, 640, Rep N198, 521); utilities (Senator N607, 920, Rep N397, 042); newspapers/periodicals (Senator N303, 960, Rep N297, 781), house maintenance (Senator N101, 320, RepN99, 260) and wardrobe (Senator N506, 600, Rep N496, 303). Other allowances are estacode (Senator $950, Rep $900) and duty tour allowance (Senator N37,000, Rep N35,000).

    Analysts said the eighth National Assembly largely dominated by members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who rode to power on the vehicle of change, are insisting that the old order must be maintained. They explained that the change Nigerians want is the change that would rejuvenate the prostrate economy, the change that would revamp country’s battered image, the change that would rekindle ordinary Nigerians hope in the country and strengthen his resolve to work for and defend the country that must immediately begin with members of the National Assembly adding the change must be seen in their salaries and allowances.

    Irked by the Senators reaction, Second Republic law maker, Dr Junaid Muhammed castigated them for what he described as insensitivity to the general feelings of the populace to their opulent life style which is at variance with the economic situation in the country.

    Mohammed lamented that the 1979 and 1999 Constitutions made provisions for the members of National Assembly to fix their salaries and allowances. “It was a mistake that the 1979 and 1999 Constitutions empower the law makers to fix their salaries and allowances. In a normal society or a matured democracy, you don’t allow members of legislature to fix their salaries.

    “In a civilised and rational society, the nation pays the people including law makers, based on the content of the service rendered and what the nation’s economy can afford. There is no justification for the outrageous salaries and allowances fixed by them. When the economy nose dive, the normal thing to do is to cut down the expenses and plug all the leakages in the system so that the nation do not go bankrupt.

    “As a matter of policy, the salaries and allowances of the National Assembly members must relate to what is being paid to other workers in the economy in relation to what is obtained in advanced democracies like the United States of America, Britain, France, Germany and Canada among others. Paying Nigeria Senators salaries higher than what President Obama of US earns is senseless. The United States is the most powerful country and the largest economy in the world”.

    The Kano born politician said: “What I expect from the Senators is to set in motion the machinery for downward review of their salaries and allowances. Anything short of that will portray them as greedy people who care less about the well being of the country and the down trodden who bear the brunt of economic mismanagement and financial recklessness of the few who found themselves in leadership position”.

    The Executive Director, Conscience Nigeria, Mr Tosin Adeyanju, was upset by the senators reaction to pay cut. He recalled that in 2013, “the National Assembly allocation and budget was about N50 billion; by 2015, it has astronautically jumped to about N120 billion for just 469 people. This is not justifiable in a country that has over 180 million people, and in a nation that is in economic crises with huge dependence on oil revenue that has dipped by 50 per cent”

    The civil rights activist noted that Nigerian law makers were the highest paid in the world and demanded 60 per cent cut in their pay package. According to him, with a national minimum wage of N18,000 per month totalling N216,000 per annum, it will take an average Nigerian worker 60 years to earn the annual salary and allowances of a Nigerian Senator. This is not right and something urgent has to be done to slash the salaries and allowances of the law makers. The demand is imperative in view of the number of Nigerians living in poverty and the country’s revenue, he said.

    In the same vein, the former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku has called for  the downward review of the National Assembly Members pay. According to him, the Nigerian law makers were the highest paid law makers in the world. Nigerian lawmakers earn more than their counterparts in the United States, China, Britain, Japan and Canada, among others, he asserted.

    Constitutional lawyer Professor Itse Sagay (SAN) described the rejection of the pay cut by the senators as selfish. He said there has been so much talk about their allowances and one should ordinarily expect them to do something and succumb to the public demand. Instead, they have been consistent in their attitude of not being concerned about the interest of the country but their personal interests, he observed.

    Sagay noted that “there are six or seven items on their list of allowances that they should remove, for instance, the wardrobe allowance. As a man with wife and children, is it not an embarrassment for me to be waiting for government to clothe me?

    “Their actions are tantamount to exploiting and squeezing blood out of the nation. I think we have to decide whether our National Assembly should work on part-time and paid allowances based on the number of times they sit as it was the case during the First Republic. The allowances they are collecting are unrealistic in a developing country like Nigeria. If we cannot iron it out now, we can embark on it in the next dispensation. It should be a campaign issue in the next election.”

    Stressing the need for a 60 per cent wage cut for the law makers, Adeyanju said: “We need to save Nigeria from imminent collapse in order not to turn it into another Greece. Political position must be made less attractive; the country needs a unicameral and not bicameral legislation”.

    Following the 50 per cent pay cut announced by President Muhammadu Buhari for himself, the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and the presidential aides, the expectation of many Nigerians was that the National Assembly members would follow suit. Public Affairs analyst Dr Alex Otitoloju said it was disheartening to hear the Senators seeking to maintain the status quo.

    Otitoloju said this attitude surely portrays the law makers as not being on the same page with the president. It is very dangerous to the overall wellbeing of the country, especially the President’s commitment towards resuscitating the economy. Any member of the National Assembly that fails to follow the good example demonstrated by President Buhari is peoples’ enemy and should be treated as a saboteur.

    He was disturbed by the reports that the APC law makers in the National Assembly are resisting the change mantra of the Buhari administration and insisting that the older must be maintained.  He faulted the argument of the law makers that they use part of their allowances to empower members of their constituencies. “Law makers are not father Xmas. They are not elected to dole out money to their constituents; they are expected to offer quality representation, make laws for good governance and facilitate developmental projects to their constituencies.

    “The law makers cannot afford not to be part of or even lead the change that would guaranty quality standard of living for the poor and abandoned ordinary citizens of the country who have over the years being the victims of the tiny but powerful people who have continued to misrule the country.”

    Former Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association,(NBA) Mr  Monday Ubani was furious over what he described as fabulous salaries and allowances being drawn by the law makers for doing nothing. He noted that each senator has collected N36.4 million and House of Rep member N17m as housing furniture and transport allowances. In the past two and half months, these law makers have not passed a single law, yet the nation had to expend almost N13 billion for their personal comfort.

    “How would you expect such people to accept pay cut? They are very selfish; they are not interested in the well being of the nation and the people. They did not work for one week, they have collected colossal sum of money for doing nothing. The total cost on legislative is alarming; it constitutes a drain pipe on the nation’s economy. It is a big mistake that the constitution allows the law makers to fix their salaries and allowances.”

    Ubani suggested that there should be an arrangement to make the National Assembly and other elective positions less attractive to maintain modesty in salaries and allowances. “We have states that cannot pay salaries and the law makers in the National Assembly want to live fat at the expense of the masses. I believe time will sort everything out”, he added.