Senate President David Mark Returns To Nigeria From Medical Treatment

David Mark at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, returned from his medical treatment in Tel Aviv, Israel, and was received on arrival by the Speaker, House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminul Tambuwal, the Deputy Senate President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, and several ministers including members of the senate and house of representatives. Mark had been in Israel for complicated medical examination...In his first press statement, Mark said: "I thank God I am now hale and hearty and back to my feet. I will continue to be faithful to God and my commitment to the service of my fatherland."

Nigeria: Can Law Makers Adjust To Pay Cut?

By Chibuzo Ukaibe, Leadership Nigeria


Running the bicameral legislature in Nigeria is very expensive. Since 1999, the running cost of the National Assembly and the states houses of assemblies have been rising to intolerable level with Nigerians crying blue murder. After succumbing to pressures by Nigerians to cut their jumbo package, Chibuzo Ukaibe, in this piece looks at whether lawmakers of the national assembly can adjust to the new development.

When the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi declared that legislators gulped a huge chunk of the national budget- an amazing 25 percent- it sparked off a tirade from virtually all sectors of the country.

From the academic community to the civil society, the legislators came under intense criticisms. The criticisms were anchored on the larger than life lifestyle they live which was a sharp contrast to the pervasive squalor of those they represent.

It was unhealthy for the country and its economy which is stifled under the weight of a crippled power sector, lethargic infrastructure and massive unemployment.

The outcry was further intensified by renowned scholar of Law, Professor Itse Sagay who said Nigerian federal legislators are the highest paid legislators in the globe, and that their salaries and allowances represent a cruel anomaly in the country’s democratic governance.

Putting it in perspective, he noted that the Nigerian Senate President earned N88.33 million per month while his deputy earned N50 million, comparing their pay with what US President Barrack Obama who “earns $400,000 per annum while British Prime Minister David Cameron goes home with 190,000 pounds.”

According to Sagay, the anomaly is a breach of public trust. “A senator earns N240 million ($1.7 million) in salaries and allowances while his House of Representatives counterpart earns about N204 million ($1.45 million) per annum,” Sagay said.
The erudite Professor said an American senator “earns $174, 000 while a UK parliamentarian earns about $64, 000 per annum, which is very low compared to that of Nigerian lawmakers when compared with what their colleagues earn in the United States and United Kingdom.”

“In spite of the dismal standard of living, poverty of the country and low income per capita of the country, Nigerian legislators in Abuja have awarded themselves the highest salaries and allowances in the world. In 2009, the federal legislators received a total of N102.8 billion comprising N11.8 billion as salaries and N90.96 billion as non taxable allowances,”

He described it as a tragic situation that is clearly unsustainable, saying the anomaly “is seriously endangering our democracy.”

It is alleged that these hardly include expenses incurred on duty tours and estacode, as well as the allocations that come from ‘oversight functions’ and ‘lobbying.

But the legislature has explained that there is actually a difference between what people describe as jumbo pay and the actual earnings of the members which are fixed by Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission.

According to the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, at a press conference in July: “My pay has not been cut. My salary has not been cut because salaries are fixed by Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission.

“What has been cut is our overheads, our running cost, what you people refer to as jumbo pay. I want to be categorical that the salaries of National Assembly members have not been cut. We earn about the same salaries as ministers and Supreme Court Judges and I am not aware that their salaries have been cut.
“So if we are earning jumbo pay then it means that ministers and Supreme Court Judges are also earning jumbo pay. What has been cut is the over head cost of the National Assembly. It was a decision of the National Assembly.

“We committed ourselves to reducing the cost of governance. If you recall when Mr President came to present the 2011 budget, the president of the Senate made a commitment that this National Assembly was going to do everything in its power to reduce the cost of governance.

“And that we are going to show the example, so we have taken the lead by reducing the cost of running the National Assembly and we are hoping that the other arms of government will follow.

“Our responsibility is to the Federal Government. But at every level of governance in this country, let me put it this way; that every level of government is implicated in the high cost of governance, from the council right up to the Federal Government. So we believe that the states also play a role in ensuring that the cost of governance comes down.”

Chairman of the House ad-hoc committee on media, Mr. Michael Opeyemi Bamidele corroborated Ndoma –Egba. Chairman of RMAFC, Engineer Elias Mbam said apart fom salaries his commission also stipulates how much is to be paid for estacodes and overnight allowances. He however warned that it is illegal for lawmakers or any government officials to earn estacodes or allowances outside what the commission has approved. RMAFC is constitutionally empowered to determine the remuneration of all public office holders, including the president and his vice, governors, ministers, commissioners, special advisers and legislators, amongst others as listed in Sections 84 and 124 of the 1999 constitution. “Any other salaries and allowances being enjoyed by any political office holder outside those provided by the law or determined by the commission from time to time, in accordance with the provisions of the constitution are not known to the commission. Mbam stressed.

LEADERSHIP gathered that the Senate president is to earn N2.4 million as annual basic salary and a total annual emolument of N8.6 million. The speaker of the House of Representatives is to earn N2.4 million, annual basic salary and a total emolument of N4.95 million which amounts to N0.4million monthly. A senator is supposed to earn N12. 76 million per annum and members of the House of Representatives are to earn N9.52 million per annum.
With the commencement of the 40 percent slash, LEADERSHIP learnt that while some of the senators still grapple with the cut in the running costs, others have taken it in stride, “reworked their budgets to reflect current realities”.

It was also learnt that many times when senators visit their constituencies they often spend hugely as they attend to personal needs of their constituents as their house/constituency offices are thronged by those they represent on the slightest whiff of their usually short visit. Their offices in Abuja are not spared as well.
Analysts opine that the posh cars and huge spending are not going to fizzle away soon even as demands on them from their constituencies can only increase (which is usually driven by the members need to ensure their political survival).

Also it was gathered that majority of legislators have their children and wards in expensive schools, locally and internationally.

LEADERSHIP can reveal that the members are not taking the cuts easy as they had to adopt other means of making ends meet.

To make up for the cut in their running cost and meet the demands (before the slash), the ministries and Departments and Agencies have started receiving sterner attention by the legislators to ostensibly make up for what they have lost through the pay cut, a source in the National Assembly said.

The National Assembly has the constitutional right, while performing its oversight function, to summon any ministry, department or agency to provide update on their activities.

But a source in the second estate of the realm believes there has never been any attempt to drain the executive arm of government. ‘‘Most lawmakers are accomplished businessmen, captains of industries and professionals from all works of life. So most of them are quite wealthy before they came to the legislature,’’ the source assured.

A lawmaker who craved for anonymity believes it is not right to generalize that everybody there is out to squander money or be bandied as trying to make money from arm twisting the MDAs while engaging in their oversight functions. Such a perception he said would not be in the overall interest of the country.

Mark, Enweremadu Lead Senate

By Gbade Ogunwale, The Nation

The Senate yesterday rubber-stamped the candidature of Senators David Mark (Benue South) and Ike Ekweremadu (Enugu West) as Senate President and Deputy Senate President.

Their candidature was ratified by the body of senators without any opposition. Immediate past Deputy Majority Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba (Cross River Central) moved the motion nominating Mark for the office. It was seconded by Senator Smart Adeyemi (Kogi West).

Ekweremadu was nominated by Senator Zaynab Kure (Niger South). Ahmed Lawan (Yobe North) seconded the motion.

Ndoma-Egba described Mark as "a social pragmatist, a magnet that moves both friends and foes into his enchanting orbit, a man whose flame and fame continues to illuminate, a patriot, a true nationalist, a detribalised Nigerian, a social and political strategist of no means standing".

He went on: "His socio political charismatic personality ripples through the entire length and breadth of this great nation and beyond. He is a lover of democracy and the rule of law and, above all, a man of immense political sagacity."

Ndoma-Egba said Mark has "all his life displayed vigour without vanity, strength without insolence and courage without ferocity and all the virtues of a natural commander without his vices".

Mark said he was humbled by the confidence unanimously reposed in him by his colleagues, describing the gesture as a new Nigerian spirit, "birth of new National Assembly and increasing maturity in the democratic system".

He added: "As a mark of appreciation and reciprocation for the honour you have done to me, I promise that I will be honest, transparent, fair and will ensure that there is equity and justice. Above all, I will preside with the fear of God."

He described the mandate as a sacred trust, which he promised to hold in trust for the body of senators, and "to work for you, to work with you, and together, we shall all work for a greater Nigeria".

Recognising his position as first among equals, Mark urged collaboration, team spirit, networking and consensus building through dialogue and consultation.

"To accomplish more, we would have to listen and consult more with the civil society, the organised private sector and other major stakeholders," he said, adding:

"Our budgeting system needs radical change. We, as representatives of the people, must initiate legislations that will reduce cost of governance at all levels, thereby freeing resources to attend to the basic needs of the people."

"We would also seek to strengthen the analytical capacity of the National Assembly as it relates to budgeting and oversight functions," he said.

Mark continued: "Our target is that hopefully, this session of the National Assembly shall set a historic record by passing very critical legislations that would propel Nigeria to the 20 most advanced economies."

The National Assembly complex and environs started brimming with human and vehicular traffic as early as 7 am, with dozens of security agents searching incoming vehicles and frisking visitors to the complex.

Many of the lawmakers were accompanied by their wives or husbands and other relatives. They were accommodated in two sections within the Senate chambers.

Hundreds of visitors who came to witness the inauguration could not enter the complex. Many were seated at the Assembly’s main car park. Cars were not allowed in the main park.

Apparently to ease traffic congestion, the lawmakers were brought to the complex in buses and were taken away the same way.

The inauguration began at 10.05 am with the Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Abubakar Salisu Maikasuwa, presiding. He was assisted by his deputy, Olumuyiwa Omojokun.

Clerk of the Senate Mr. Benedict Efeturei and his Deputy, Duduyemi Lawal, were there. Efeturei took the roll call.

Dignitaries at the ceremony included Secretary to the Government of the Federation Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Haliru Mohammed and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, among others.

Report Of Alleged Fraud By Mark Rocks Senate

 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2007


From Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, Abuja


ABUJA (THE GUARDIAN)--Tempers rose yesterday on the floor of the Senate as members of the Upper House openly expressed dismay over a report alleging that its President, David Mark, was involved in a N3 billion budget fraud.

Shortly after the start of the session, senators frowned over a report credited to an aide of George Akume, to the effect that Mark smuggled the sum of N2.5 billion into the 2007 Supplementary Act for the purpose of furnishing the new Senate building.

The lawmakers were equally unhappy with another report of an allegation that the Senate leadership had paid out N500 million to some television stations that carried out live broadcast of the screening of the last set of ministerial nominees.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Iyiola Omisore had cited Order 15 of Senate Standing Rule and argued that his privilege had been violated by the publication.

According to Omisore, it was wrong for a senator to have insinuated that N2.5 billion was smuggled into the supplementary budget when in actual fact, his committee had been thorough in the processing of the budget before being passed by the entire Senate.

He added: "Mr. Senate President, I read in the Daily Trust of Wednesday, October 17, 2007, a story credited to Adoka Adaji who presented himself as a Special Assistant to Senator George Akume, that the Senate President smuggled N2.5 billion into the supplementary budget recently passed by the Senate."

He continued: "By this story, the entire constitutional appropriation process meticulously carried out by the Senate is being discredited, and my privilege as Chairman of the Committee on Appropriation and Senator Iyiola Omisore has been breached. I have been portrayed as incompetent and untrustworthy.

"It may well be that Akume knows something that this Senate does not know. I therefore move that in terms of Order 15, this matter be referred to our Committee on Ethics and Public Petitions", Omisore added.

Seconding the motion, the Deputy Majority Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN) declared that his privilege had also been trampled upon by the publication.

He said: "My own privileges have also been breached. I was the one detailed to provide the cost of live broadcast for ministerial screening...But that publication alleged that over N500 million was spent on the broadcast. For any Senator to go out and disclose what was discussed in a closed session is irresponsible. He should have confirmed from the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and others whether any money has been paid. Nothing has been paid so far."

Speaking on the matter, Abubakar Danso Sodangi said: "This is no longer an attempt to destroy the image of our Senate President. But the integrity of the entire Senate is at stake here. All our privileges have been breached here."

The Deputy Minority leader, Olorunnimbe Mamora, added another dimension to the debate when he argued that all the publications were aimed at smearing the image of the Senate.

He said: "There is also the allegation that Mark has started furnishing the new wing of the Senate Complex when there has been no budgetary provision for it. I believe this is a smear campaign. We can't continue like this."

Smart Adeyemi in his own argument said: "The content and the authority of the source of the story is not in doubt. Every minute counts for the Senate. We must ensure that this will be the last story published to tarnish the image of the Senate. It is unbecoming for Akume and his group to engage in this. This story is unfair, unbiblical, unislamic and unconstitutional."

But when Dahiru Kuta rose to blame journalists for going to press with the story without confirming from the Senate, Adeyemi interrupted him and queried on top of his voice: "Why are you blaming journalists? Talk about your friend."

And Joy Emodi was more aggressive in her reactions to the reports.

"This is a rumour against all of us and I don't think we should allow this to continue because the National Assembly is the symbol of democracy in this country."

Following a motion sponsored by Omisore, the Upper House ordered fresh investigation into the newspaper report.

After many senators had condemned the report, the Upper House adopted the only prayer of the motion directing its Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions to investigate the report and submit its findings as well as its recommendations to it on Tuesday next week for further action.

Also, last Tuesday, the same Ethics Committee was asked to investigate and identify the source of another media report in which Mark was alleged to have spent some N400 million to renovate his official residence.

The Omar Hambagda-led Ethics Committee however complained of insufficient time to do the investigation and submit its report on Tuesday, but the Senate directed it to proceed first and ask for more time if it had not concluded its work then.