TOP HEAVY

Nigeria is not the only country in the world where recurring costs overburden public spending. It is just that our own system is uniquely driven by the acquisition of money. It is a bloated structure characterized by “elected representatives” with too much money and power.  At the top is the President, along with a sub-structure built around him of party stalwarts, kingmakers and political businessmen.

Then we have this bicameral legislative arm, called the National Assembly. It is the size of several governments elsewhere. Here we have 360 Members of the House of Representatives and 109 Senators functioning with the help of their bloated support staff. So large is the staff strength of the National Assembly that they have a separate National Assembly Service Commission. One wonders why they still struggle to make good laws for the peace and development of this country. Maybe it is because “too many cooks spoil the broth.” Add to this, the 36 states of the federation and 774 local councils to the equation, each with its executive and legislature. 

Here most people holding public office regard their call to service as a recipe for becoming wealthy, only a privileged few control who becomes what. The richest among us are the politicians in government, and the same people are recycled to ensure exclusivity. Former governor or retired general becomes the president, a senator or reps member goes back to his state to become governor, a two-term governor anoints his “loyal” commissioner as the next governor after safely landing himself in the Senate… the cycle continues.

 On the account of their legitimate earnings, these folks are proving more and more difficult for the rest of us to maintain. For instance, a Senator’s basic salary of N 2, 484, 245 is a decoy, a smoke screen shielding his other remuneration package – some regular allowances, others one-offs, including Hardship Allowance: 50% of Basic Salary = N1, 242,122.75, Constituency allowance: 200% of BS = N4, 968,509.00, Furniture Allowance: 300% of BS = N7, 452,736.50, Newspaper allowance: 50% = N1, 242,122.70, Wardrobe allowance: 25% = N621, 061.37, Recess Allowance: 10% = N248, 424.55, Accommodation: 200% = N4, 968,509.00, Utilities: 30% = N828, 081.83, Domestic Staff: 35% = N863,184.12, Entertainment: 30% = N828,081.83, Personal Assistance: 25% = N621,061.37, Vehicle Maintenance Allowance: 75% = N1,863,184.12, Leave Allowance : 10% = N248,424.55, One off payments (Severance gratuity): 300% = N7,452,736.50, Motor Vehicle Allowance: 400% of BS = N9,936,982.00. Without a doubt, it costs us an upward of N180 million a year to maintain a Senator. There are 108 left and another 360 Reps too. What a job, why do anything else? Which other job would they be doing that would pay them so well. It is testament to the worship of money, that despite these bumper payments they still are so corrupt, or is it this power and money that so corrupts them. Government is supposed to be a sacrifice to the nation and not money making venture. We have got it all so wrong over here.

Whatever it is, our system of government is too expensive, and we have stuck to its wasteful tendencies thus far because it suits the purpose of an avaricious few. This is reinforced by the deliberate inconsistencies in our constitution designed to accommodate the excesses of our powerful public officers.

We should stop this waste. The billions saved in the process would go a long way in ameliorating the lot of those among us languishing below a dollar a day.  The larger-than-life world of our leaders accentuates how the rest of us are grappling with the socio-economic realities of being Nigerians in an ironically rich-poor country. 

Blocking every avenue for the nation’s resources to trickle down to the masses is self-destructive. Like one of the placards carried during the 2011 subsidy protest poignantly observed, one day the poor would have nothing left to eat but the rich. Hasn’t it started happening already?