Nass members using Keke and Motorbikes for oversight functions — House Spokesman laments

Just when you'd think the #OccupyNass movement over the humongous among of funds spend on maintaining the legislators, and recent public fury over the proposed N37 billion renovation of the National Assembly, would trigger some sort of rethinking especially at a time the nation is roaming about in search of loans, it does appears however, that the reverse is the case. The house wants more money!


Spokesman of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu on Monday, in Abuja, via an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, said the National Assembly is underfunded, and that Ministers in the country now seem more powerful that the legislators as a result.

Mr Kalu who said “the National Assembly is an arm of government, and cannot be compared to a ministry,” laments that lack of adequate funding has made the House's oversight functions increasingly difficult as members are forced to use Keke and Motorbikes to go for oversight functions "Whereas the directors in the MDAs who are lower in comparison are driving beautiful cars and sitting in the offices."



Kalu in response to how the National Assembly views the paltry allocation to ministries such as education, health, agriculture, in spite of international treaties which the country is a signatory and requires the country to allocate more;

Said, “How can you compare a ministry with an arm of government? We are an arm of the government. Those ministries you mentioned are under the arm of the government. The National Assembly is the engine room to create for the executive how to function.




“When they say they want to go for oversight function, you say they should go in keke napep. Whereas the directors in the MDAs who are lower in comparison are driving beautiful cars and sitting in the offices. Those who need the car would go for oversight, using motorbikes.”

The spokesperson added that with the National Assembly “allocation stagnated,” its staff keeps increasing in number and so are its activities especially as regards oversight functions. This he said is because the MDAs under the executive arm are increasing.



“When you look at the number of the oversight functions of the House, it has increased because the number of the MDAs of the executive has increased. Oversight costs money. Don’t rely on MDAs, if you do that, you are compromised. The House on its own is supposed to have enough budget to do what Nigerians want them to do,” Mr Kalu said.

He added: “If you put in (N)1 trillion (as the budget of an agency) and you give the National Assembly 10 million, how can you use less than 1 per cent to oversight a project of that enormous size? This is what you are not telling the public, you want me to (oversee) a ministry that has 1 trillion and you don’t give me up to 10 million to fuel my car, buy (flight) ticket.


“A watchdog needs to be fed for it to do its work. You starve your dog and you expect it to carry out its work? You don’t give him food, you cage him and you expect him to watch the enemies come in. This is why we need funding. This money is not going to individual pockets. That is why the committees are complaining.”