LINUS CHIBUIKE
THE Senate, on Tuesday, debunked insinuations that the National Assembly was broke and could not pay workers.
The Upper Chamber disclosed that the February salaries of workers had been paid, insisting that it does not fund its activities through funds from Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Ajibola Basiru, who made the clarification while briefing journalists in Abuja, also noted that lawmakers did not require funds to sit for 180 days.
According to the All Progressives Congress Senator, even in the thick of the COVID-19 crisis last year, the lawmakers achieved their mandatory 180 days sitting.
He was reacting to a report indicating that there was cash crunch at the National Assembly.
The senator said, “We are on the 9th of March and we have a 12-month calendar. There is nothing that says we won’t sit for 180 days. It is therefore irresponsible for anybody to insinuate that we would not sit for 180 days.
“Those who are saying we won’t achieve the mandatory 180 days are just creating unnecessary tension where there is none. Nobody can predict that we won’t sit for 180 days. It is too early in the year to determine that. Despite last year’s lockdown, we achieved our mandatory 180 days sitting.”
He noted also that there was no circular indicating that the Senate had reduced sitting to once a week.
He said, “We have been having sitting three times a week since the beginning of this year at the Senate. We have slso had sitting twice a week. There is a second wave of COVID-19 pandemic. We are very brisk in our business these days. When it was necessary, we had occasions to sit on a Monday this year.
“The issue of cash crunch hitting the National Assembly is the figment of the imagination of the writers. I have just returned from my constituency where I went to supervise the projects that I facilitated and being implemented by the Executive arm of government. There is no Senator that would say he or she cannot go to their constituencies due to non-funding of their constituency projects.”
Stressing that the National Assembly was not owing salaries, he stated, “The National Assembly, as far as I am concerned, is not owing its staff salaries. The management is not also owing any lawmaker. It is totally wrong to say that the National Assembly is relying on the ministries, departments and agencies to fund its committee works. If that is even the case, that will even be conflict of interest.
“I don’t know the intention behind that story, but it is concocted and a deliberate attempt to pitch the National Assembly against the Executive or to pitch the public against us, that we are not living up to our expectations. The National Assembly does not rely on the MDAs to fund our activities.
“We have budgets for our committees and oversight. Also, when there are specific needs in terms of consultancy services or special travels to do our jobs, the bureaucracy supports such assignment. It does not make sense to rely on the same MDAs we are over sighting for funding again.”
According to Bashiru, there is no senator or member of the House of Representatives that can come out to say he or she has not been paid.
He said, “We adjourned today without holding plenary in line with our parliamentary tradition to honour any of our deceased colleague. We met twice last week and attended to several bills, and confirmation of appointment. There is no official position on the number of days that we will be sitting per week.
“Sitting at plenary does not require money. It just requires printing of order papers. We are not collecting sitting allowances. There is no pecuniary financial requirements for us to sit. I don’t see how finance can hinder our sitting. We are not collecting sitting allowance, we only collect salaries at the end of the month.”
“We are merely observing COVID-19 health and safety protocols and we won’t do anything that would be hazardous to the health of our members. We have never amended our rules to sit once per week,” the senator stressed.
