Greedy Federal Lawmakers – How They Milk The Nation 
Published on July 5, 2010 by TheNEWS · No Comments
The on-going World Cup has further exposed the level of corruption and greed of Nigerian lawmakers. What have lawmakers gone to do in South Africa? How many countries sent their lawmakers to South Africa to witness the global soccer fiesta? (‘Greedy Federal Lawmakers – How They Milk The Nation,’ TheNEWS, 28 June 2010 edition). But our government sees the fiesta as another avenue to milk the nation. This explains why the government could afford to sponsor about 90 senators to South Africa with tax payers’ money. The truth of the matter is that only a few of these lawmakers actually made it to the stadiums to cheer the Super Eagles to victory.
Jimoh Saidi,
Ibadan.
I commend TheNEWS magazine for its cover story of 21 June 2010 entitled ‘Greedy Federal Lawmakers’. The story was supported with facts and figures and I enjoyed reading it. I also consider it as timely. Nigerians now know better the level of greed at the National Assembly. The fact is that the lawmakers are just there for theselves. They do not have the interest of the electorate at heart.
Monday James,
Ilorin.
Professor Sola Adeyeye, the former member of the House of Representatives who shocked Nigerians in 2003 with his exposure of what he called barefaced looting in the name of allowances is, indeed, a man of the people. The professor’s revelation was good enough to attract the searchlight of the anti-graft agencies. But the EFCC failed to do so for reasons best known to it, but to the detriment of Nigerians. I urge the EFCC to wake up to its responsibilities.
Monica Awala,
Yenagoa.
It is understandable that Nigerians are crying foul about the lawmakers’ jumbo salaries and allowances. If the Federal Government had been living up to expectation by providing employment for youths and jacking up workers’ salaries, people won’t be bothered. But the lawmakers’ greed has made this ideal situation unattainable.
Juliet Nwanna,
Nsukka.
The major problem bedeviling democracy in Nigeria can be traced to the crop of leaders who disguise with the title ‘honourable’ to dishonourably loot our treasury and corral undeserved allowances in their bid to get a slice of the national cake.
Jide Omoleye,
Ado-Ekiti.
Corruption has become part of us and it is so sad that Nigerians our lawmakers who ought to champion the anti-corruption crusade are downright dishonourable. But as long as corruption is being worshipped in the National Assembly, the dream of Nigeria becoming a great nation would never come to fruition.
Festus Ayodele,
Akure.
Your cover story of 28 June 2010 has really exposed how unreliable and selfish our lawmakers are despite their pledge to serve Nigeria with all their strength, loyalty and integrity. Imagine the House demanding N45 million per quarter as allowance for a senator! It is shameful and shows how insensitive these people––most of whom rigged themselves into the National Assembly anyway––are to the plight of those they claim to serve.
Bamidele Omoyajowo.
Ibadan.
Good story from TheNEWS on greedy federal lawmakers and how they milk the nation. There is no gainsaying that the problems confronting the country are worsened by greedy legislators who share the nation’s billions among themselves. They are not lawmakers but money makers.
Debo Adade,
Ede.
It is quite disgusting that our lawmakers can brazenly romance embezzlement like they are currently doing. I must commend your magazine for this expose. This is the kind of journalism we pray for; one characterised by sincerity of purpose, integrity and unbiased reporting.
Jacob Oladimeji,
Ile-Ife.
From your cover story on greedy lawmakers, it is obvious that legislators in Nigeria are just out to feather their own nests. To worsen matters, they are not even enacting laws that benefit the populace. It is quite unfortunate that after several years of toil and sacrifice by patriotic Nigerians who fought the military so that the country can move forward, lawmakers are taking us backward.
Taiwo Mogaji,
Ile-Ife.
I thank TheNEWS magazine for making such revelation on how the federal lawmakers are milking the nation. Until your publication of 21 June, I never knew each member of the House of Representatives was collecting N27 million every quarter. I wonder what they have done for their respective constituencies with such huge sums. I think thesee allowances should be slashed significantly.
Francis Obe,
Isabu.
Your cover story titled ‘Greedy Federal Lawmakers’ of 21 June 2010 was timely. It came out the very week our lawmakers displayed another show of shame as the House of Representatives was literally turned into a house of commotion. And at the bottom of the fresh crisis was greed; at least, accusations of corrupt enrichment by a figure no less than the Speaker of the House, Dimeji Bankole. I look forward to more of such stories.
Tolani Jinadu,
Ikenne.
I strongly agree with Alfred Ilenre, the veteran journalist and rights advocate, who submitted in the interview featured in your 28 June edition that members of the National Assembly are greedy and incompetent. They are indeed shameless and something drastic has to be done about the menace that they pose to the country’s well-being.
Akeem Aremu,
Lagos.
The federal lawmakers are not under any illusion about what they are in the National Assembly for, which is to steal public funds. The reason for their greed is obvious: they don’t have the interest of the country at heart.
Imoni Roland,
Warri.
It is obvious that the federal lawmakers are a greedy lot. Ask them how they spend the constituency allowances allocated to them and they wouldn’t be able to point to any significant project.
Ime Akpan,
Calabar.
This set of lawmakers is the worst Nigeria has ever had. They have a lot of skeletons in their cupboards. And that is the reason why they have not been able to pass the Freedom of Information bill into law.
Luke Imanah,
Uyo.
These federal lawmakers are a bunch of thieves. I think the reason they are so greedy is because they are trying to recoup all the money they spent during their electioneering campaigns. Unless we put a stop to their greed, no meaningful progress will come to the country.
Niran Adesumo,
Ibadan.
It is now clear to Nigerians that our so-called legislators are only after the cheap money the Assembly guarantees. Let us not make the mistake of believing it is restricted to the National Assembly. Even our grassroots legislators are overly pampered. I think it is high time we began thinking of purging our system of these parasites. They are in every way detrimental to our psyche.
Fred Azinge,
Port-Harcourt.
Is glaring that the federal lawmakers are greedy. Instead of passing laws that would benefit the masses, they are busy increasing their allowances. I think it is high time those greedy lawmakers stopped––or are forced to stop––stealing public funds.
Imeri Pius,
Benin-City.
We should not be too quick to condemn lawmakers. When we consider the exigencies of their functions as federal legislators, we’d find that they indeed require a lot more money than they are currently expending. These are people who have big egos and hangers-on to feed. The money meant for constituency development, as a matter of fact, is meant for these purposes and more, including pampering their godfathers. I think until politicians are made to realise that they are the ones who ought to be sacrificing and not Nigerians sacrificing for them, things will even get worse.
Michael Ikwe,
Makurdi.
Your cover story on the insatiable appetite of our federal lawmakers was very timely. For some time now I’ve been wondering whether Nigerians have become so blind as not to see the looting going on in the National Assembly. Can anybody come out to say he or she has seen any development effort in their constituency initiated by these thieving lawmakers? Whose interest are they then representing?
Salau Ahmed,
Zaria.
Nigeria is one country where political office offers tons of cash. Rather than serve your people, it is the people that serve you, in some cases with their blood. Imagine getting heavily paid for dong nothing. Who doesn’t want to be a senator?
Femi Kazeem,
Ilorin.
One of the best ways of making huge but unmerited money is through the National Assembly. Apart from the fact that Nigerians have been shut away from the accounting system of the House, which is supposed to be consistently under public scrutiny in the first place, many legislators are not known to the public. How then do you know what they are doing, or even hold them liable for non-performance?
Emmanuel Zakari,
Kebbi.