N13.5m running cost: NCP advocates part-time legislature

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April 5, 2018 6:34 PM

The National Secretary of the party, Mr Ayodele Akele, gave the party’s position in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

The National Conscience Party (NCP) on Thursday, advocated part-time legislature for the country with lawmakers sitting on part-time basis.

Akele was reacting to the recent disclosure by Sen. Shehu Sanni (APC Kaduna Central) that, he and his colleagues received running cost of N13.5 million each monthly among other revelations.

He described the jumbo pay being enjoyed by members of the National Assembly as unacceptable.

“The jumbo pay of members of our federal lawmakers is outrageous and our party, the NCP, is totally opposed to it.

“How can we be talking of N13.5 million for each of the senators when the minimum wage of workers is just N18, 000, and some governors are not even paying.

“This can’t be a fair arrangement. It is a burden on the resources of this country and a disincentive to development.

“The NCP is therefore advocating that the country should adopt a part-time legislature where lawmakers sit on part-time basis.

“This we strongly believe will significantly reduce the cost of governance and free up resources for development purposes,’’ he said.

He said that the senators’ pay was arbitrary and outrageous, especially when the minimum wage for workers was a “paltry’’ N18, 000.

Akele said the jumbo pay of lawmakers was one of the reasons why the cost of governance was so high amidst fewer resources available for development.

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