Newspaper review: Uproar over Lawmakers allowances

The newspapers for Monday, September 5, report on an investigation showing how the National Assembly members received outrageous amount of money in one year despite the economic crunch, the arrest of two Boko Haram members who were trying to infiltrate the army, and the United Nations (UN) report on Nigeria’s common country analysis (CCA), among others.

An investigation by the Economic Confidential has revealed how lawmakers which include senators and members of House of Representatives have received a total of N6.78 billion as their official salaries and allowances in twelve months.

Vanguard reports that the allowances are said to include annual salaries, accommodation, vehicle maintenance and fuel, personal assistants, house maintenance, domestic staff, entertainment and utilities allowances.

As reported by the Economic intelligence magazine, allowances which labelled‘legitimate’ remuneration are due to federal legislators in line with the provisions and statutory approval of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, (RMAFC).

The allowances are said to include annual salaries, accommodation, vehicle maintenance and fuel, personal assistants, house maintenance, domestic staff, entertainment and utilities allowances.

Others allowances are stated as constituency allowance, annual leave, hardship allowance, wardrobe, newspapers and responsibility allowances.

Meanwhile, the Department of State Security (DSS) has raised alarm over plans by Boko Haram terrorists to join the Nigerian Army, the Nation reports.

In a statement by Tony Opuiyo who is the spokesperson of the DSS, the state police revealed that security operatives apprehended two Boko Haram members in Kano state who were trying to infiltrate the army.

He said: “In response to the regrouping of Boko Haram elements in Kano State, the Service in concert with the military, carried out coordinated operations in the State which led to the apprehension of two (2) high profile members of the sect, namely; Ibrahim Ustaz Abubakar and Idris Audu (aka AYA). Audu is an IED specialist who was being groomed to penetrate security agencies in the country. Audu had already perfected plans to seek for recruitment into the next recruitment scheme of the Nigeria Army, before his arrest.”

He also said different kidnap gangs that had been terrorising different parts of the country had been busted and urged Nigerians to provide useful information that can help keep the country safe.

In other news, the UN has described Nigeria as a “divided society on the basis of the plurality of ethnic, religious and regional identities that had tended to define the country’s political existence”.

This was made known to the public during a consultative meeting on the formulation of the UN Development Assistance Framework IV (UNDAF IV) for the South-East geo-political zone in Awka, according to Sun.

The report also painted a gloomy picture for the country as most of the development and social indices in Nigeria recorded much below acceptable standards.

It noted that the major challenges facing Nigeria were constraints of economic growth and social development and lack of good governance.

The Punch reports that the federal government is finalising its plan to set up a 20-member committee to review existing electoral laws and past reports on electoral reforms, including that of the Justice Muhammad Uwais National Electoral Committee.

The paper reports that the attorney general of the federation and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami, will constitute and inaugurate the committee.

The special adviser to the AGF on media and publicity, Salihu Isah, told the Punch that the committee would be inaugurated soon, he said the proposal is just waiting for the final directive of the AGF.

In politics, the Guardian reports that the emergence of a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), as the candidate of the APC in the November 26 governorship polls is a repeat of the what occurred in 1978 when the late Chief Bola Ige defeated Emmanuel Alayande to clinch the Unity Party of Nigeria’s (UPN) ticket for the governorship election in old Oyo State.

Following Akeredolu’s victory, a deluge of mixed reactions trailed the exercise with some stakeholders commending the process and congratulating the winner while others refused to be too enthusiastic.

Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2012 governorship election, Chief Olusola Oke, who also contested in the Saturday’s exercise kicked against the results.

Speaking through his campaign director-general, Bola Fisayo, Oke said the election was not a true reflection of the wishes of the delegates that participated in it.

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