Akpabio and Company vs The Nigerian People

By Ayo Dada

MaTaZ ArIsInG
Texas

The Nigerian Senators were said to be upset with the Senate President Akpabio for exposing them for collecting a “Paltry” of N2Million bribe for the ministerial screening job well done; 😃

The news is coming after his yet another statement that shows the mindset of the number 3 citizen of the country. He said and I quote; “In order to enable all of us to enjoy our holidays, a token has been sent to our various accounts by the Clerk of the National Assembly.” The senate president was immediately informed by his colleagues that he was speaking on live television. (Be quiet, you are exposing us…this reminds me of the famous, or should I say the infamous “off the mic” moment.

The Senate president immediately withdrew the statement and unashamedly told his colleagues in cahoots that he has sent prayers to their email addresses.

Why did he retract the statement if it is a legitimate payment? He had no reason to if the earnings are valid. How do bank accounts related to email addresses?

How much was the gift? Is this how they give TOKENS to Senators for recesses and vacations?

How can a senate like this work for, or serve the people? A group of people led by Akpabio that laughed at the masses with their infamous taunt, “LET THE POOR BREATHE.”

The same Akpabio that made the remark, while contributing to debate on a motion sponsored by Abdulraman Kawu Suleiman (NNPP, Kano), on the need to avert impending strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that the earnings of members of the National Assembly are insufficient to take care of volumes of requests from their constituencies despite their obscene remuneration.

And at the same time, Akpabio said, although hardship associated with removal of subsidy on petroleum products is much, Nigerians need to be more patient with the government, even as it devises steps to ameliorate their suffering. The irony could not have been clearer.

Nigerians cannot be patient while these unpatriotic and entitled prats continue to feed fat on our scarce resources, the sacrifices have to be evenly shared. In fact, those that have and are taking more from the government should be sacrificing more.

The same Akpabio, Mr Tajudeen Abbas, the House of Representatives Speaker and their gang of selfish unpatriotic lot that proposed “to spend a scandalous N40bn on 465 exotic and bulletproof cars for members and principal officials, and N70bn as ‘palliatives’ for new members when PBAT requested N500B to ease the pain and the suffering of the masses, caused by the subsidy removal on PMS.

As we all can guesstimate, NOTHING good can come out of these greedy, self serving, money hungry lot called legislators, I mean nothing for the poor. I PRAY I’M WRONG!

If the legislators are not going to curb their excesses and the waste of our scarse resources on themselves, which from all indications they will never do, how can Nigerians stop them?

One wonders if a stting president can rein in on these legislators.

The behaviors of the cult called legislators did not begin with Akpabio, though it has gotten worse, it started during the time of President Obasanjo when he tried to curb their cleptomania, they tried to and almost impeached him. That was when they went above and beyond what RMFAAC recommended as their salaries and emoluments and made themselves the highest paid legislators in the world; almost.

Do we even need bi-camera legislature? No we do NOT!

Can’t we scrap the National Assembly as it’s constituted and have what’s suitable for our cost? YES we CAN and SHOULD! This is necessary because as it is, it is over bloated.

Again, as it is, they are just a waste and an unnecessary drain on our resources.

What and how can Nigerians stop this unending abuse of the people and their resources from these fat cats?

We can start by scrapping the Senate and leave only the House of Representatives which should be part time. They should sit for two weeks every quarter, and that’s it. They shouldn’t earn more than sitting allowances. This measure will attract only those that genuinely want to serve their constituencies into the hallowed chambers. There will be nothing there to attract the greedy and the cleptomanics ones.

What can the people do to a government that becomes destructive?

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.-

-That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,-That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such.” – American Declaration of Independence 1776.

I am not insinuating or calling for insurrection of any sort, however, my interpretation of the above quote from the document is that, the people can organize and make a change, and the change Nigerians are asking for is to forego the bicameral Legislature for a Unicameral one, at the federal and states levels.

I believe that the Nigerian Labour Congress, Human Rights Activists and Organizations should be at the forefront, to organize a vote on this issue, whether the people want a bi or a unicameral Legislature.

They can organize well publicized town hall meetings where constituents are educated on both, explaining the pros and cons to them, and let INEC organize an election on it.

Things cannot continue this way, the Nigerian people have to act now to save themselves from these people.

A MUST READ BELOW:

National Assembly’s huge allocation higher than individual budgets of 19 States

MaTaZ ArIsInG

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