The row between the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption, PACAC, Prof. Itse Sagay and the National Assembly members especially those of the red chambers is not about to end as the embattled chairman insisted that he won’t stop criticizing the NASS members as long as their bogus salaries, allowances are not reviewed.
TheNewsGuru.com reports that Sagay was reacting to a statement by the Senate on Thursday, calling him possessed and speaking under influence, said the lawmakers were draining Nigeria dry and the evidence is flying everywhere for all to see.
The PACAC chair insisted that he would not stop criticizing members of the National Assembly for their expenditure, which he said was adversely affecting the economy.
His words: “I criticize them for the huge amount of money they are taking out of the country.
“They are creating a situation in which Nigeria does not have enough funds; we have kidnapping, there is Boko Haram, we have militants, armed robbery and so on.
“That is basically what I said. I spoke the truth. They have wardrobe allowance, in other words, we are the ones buying clothes for them to wear.
“When they arrived Abuja, were they naked? What is their problem?”
The legal luminary had lamented that National Assembly allocated N125 billion to themselves alone this year and that while the United States President earns $400,000 per annum, a Nigerian senator earns over $1.7 million.
Sagay said besides a basic salary of N2.4 million per month, they earn allowances such as hardship (50 percent of basic salary), newspaper allowance (50 percent), wardrobe allowance (25 percent), entertainment (30 percent), recess (10 percent), and leave (10 percent), among others.
The total allowances, he said, amounts to N29.5 million per month and N3.2 billion per annum.
“Perhaps the most notorious example of the legislators’ resistance to the war against corruption is the rejection of the right of the executive to choose the persons who will spearhead that struggle,” he added.
“The clear impression is created that Nigerian legislators are in office for themselves and not for the populace.”
“Not surprisingly, the National Assembly has not passed a single bill for the promotion of anti-corruption war since it commenced business in July 2015.”