Issues before Tambuwal’s Seventh House

*Legislators face lack of accommodation, salary reduction

BY EMMAN OVUAKPORIE

SPEAKER Aminu Tambuwal’s first three weeks in office have attracted accolades from different segments of the Nigerian society in spite of the discordant tunes that trailed his emergence from his ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). By the time he clocks 100 days in office, the young lawyer is expected to have consolidated his hold on the House.

However,  there are many issues that could equally turn his tenure into a battleground if not properly handled because the new House has many intelligent men and women who could shape or un-shape his tenure.

One major burning issue is reduction in the total emoluments of Representatives that was increased by the demised Sixth House of Representatives.

Another glaring matter is inadequate accommodation, which made the House go on recess after just one sitting after Tambuwal’s election.
The issue of some time-bound bills that need urgent attention such as the Petroleum Industry Bill is begging for attention.

The other major issue is the ability of the House to cope with the training of the many green horns that are just going into the business of legislating.

Those who were legislators in their various states of assembly may just fit in but those that had never even looked at the constitution for obvious reasons may have to be trained in the act.

Tambuwal may just rely on in-house training to fast track proceedings in the House and quickly incorporate the freshers.

On salary reduction, the lawmakers are quick to say that Nigerians were not well educated as the Representatives run two offices at home and the Federal Capital Territory and that this could be very expensive as they were first and foremost the true representatives of the people.

They insist that if there must be a salary review it must be across board and all arms of government must have a slash towards addressing the harsh economic reality on ground rather than  making Reps the whipping child.

Rep Zakari Mohammed did not mince words when he last week told the Vanguard that “a  holistic approach should be put in place to slash all salaries and allowances of all public officers, from executive, legislature and the judiciary with a view to addressing take home pay to tally with our current economic reality in Nigeria. Nigerians should not turn the House of Reps into the whipping child.”

Rep Akpan Micah Umoh said: “From what I have gathered and read in the newspapers and from old colleagues, it is like the former assembly never took time to explain properly to members of the press on their position and the members of the press just gave information that are not holistic in capturing the true situation. It is like there is a disconnect between what is on ground and what they are hearing. I have worked in places where you do not know the salary of your neighbour. people may not be happy with the legislators because they made one law and the issue of in fighting and all that could have made this to happen.

“In the states for example, they legislate as to what they are taking, in projects they nominate the contractors and eventually get control as to how the money is spent but at the Federal level what the legislator does, you only nominate a project and is tied to the project of a particular ministry and the amount of money for which that project is worth is credited to you and if somebody gets to hear that this amount is credited to you as a constituency project they will think is like what happens in the states.

At the federal it doesn’t happen and the cost component is credited to you in a ministry and the greatest thing you can do is to ask the ministry as they execute the project. These are some of the problems, as I get acquainted I will engage the press to let them know the realities on ground.”

“Thank God for the FOI Act because it will be ridiculous to bring the salaries of the executive, legislature and judiciary to the public domain as this Act will help particularly when you do not need to credit stories to reliable sources that may not be reliable.”

On the issue of accommodation, Tambuwal may have to go all out to help his new members as the cost of renting apartments in Abuja has doubled particularly in the former legislative quarters that were sold by the Chief Olusegun Obasanjo administration.

The cost of an apartment now goes for between N4million and N5million per annum, the landlords now demand for three years advance payment or the option of outright purchase.

This is a major challenge for Tambuwal as a homeless lawmaker might not be too friendly on the floor of the House considering the high cost of living in the capital city.

As for bills, Tambuwal has promised all organizations that visited him in the last three weeks that the House would speedily pass bills and he encouraged them to forward bills to the legislature.

The general feeling is that Tambuwal started well. It is hoped that he would keep his word he had promised in his maiden speech that the ethics of accountability would be his first watch word as he pilots the affairs of the most vibrant Green House in Africa.