Not to excuse the legislature but the major problem of governance in Nigeria at all levels, come from the executive.
―Ebuka Onyekwelu
Very often, Nigerian lawmakers at federal and state levels are under severe criticisms more than their counterpart in the executive arm. There is a complete shift that places legislators on constant spotlight and public assessment. In consequence, Nigerian lawmakers are constantly labeled ‘jobless’, with coinages like ‘legislooters’ invented to paint a clear picture of the corruption going on in the legislature, real or imagined.
Worst still, that the salaries and allowances of these lawmakers are a public knowledge only exacerbated the conception of lawmaking as a money sharing business. Over the years, the legislature it is easy to observe, have been subjected to intense interrogations such that many question the relevance of the arm of government, while some advocate that the legislature be scrapped. In any case, most Nigerians focus on the legislature while discussing large cost of governance, systemic corruption, institutional deficiency, infrastructure decay, abandoned projects, bad roads, among many other malaises characteristic of the Nigerian state. For the most part, Nigerians commonly blame lawmakers for not constructing roads in their constituency or not ‘giving people job’. Legislators are often accused of not solving a problem they, in the first place do not even have power to resolve. This in part, was why Sen. Ike Ekweremadu the former Deputy President of the Nigeria senate was beaten and harassed in Germany for among other things, not protecting Enugu state from attacks by herdsmen. But is Ekweremadu by any means responsible for the security of Enugu State?
For the most part, Nigerians commonly blame lawmakers for not constructing roads in their constituency or not ‘giving people job’.
As Nigerians grapple with rising consciousness among the citizenry, the extent to which this awareness bears the desired fruit is directly proportional to how well the consciousness is deployed in holding public officials accountable. Without belaboring the obvious, it can be said that there is an established culture of misconception of governmental powers in which instance, it becomes even more difficult for the people to engage their leaders.
Beyond that, this speaks to perhaps, an incitement against the legislature as a credible scheme to keep the masses engrossed in pursuit of shadow; perhaps, this explains the excess focus on the legislature. But then, it could also be that prospective lawmakers soliciting for votes during electioneering have stretched the expectations of voters beyond the powers of the legislature. However, it gets even more complicit as the constituency allowance given to lawmakers did not make it any easy for the lawmakers that are already looking bad. Throughout the states of the federation, constituency fund is a top secret and this is because lawmakers set out to divert the fund for their private purposes. There is no accountability, whatsoever. It is traditional for a lawmaker to claim to have spent tens of millions in sinking borehole or constructing small drainage or some other make-believe project. Surprisingly, Nigerians are not worried about how much the constituency fund is and where it was spent, even though this should be a major concern in holding lawmakers accountable. Instead the focus is on salaries of lawmakers.
Political leaders must be accountable to the extent within which their powers are covered by the principle of organized government, and by existing laws in the country. Nevertheless, that a Senator earns may be above N30 million in a country like Nigeria is worrisome, but how much does the President earn? What is the President’s overhead cost? And what is his security vote? How much does a minister earn? What is the minister’s overhead cost? In holding government accountable, I think, the legislators must be held accountable within their own job description and constitutional powers while the executive are held accountable equally on the same basis. Then also, in criticizing the humongous salaries and entitlements of our lawmakers, do we know how much those in the executive earn?
Not to excuse the legislature but the major problem of governance in Nigeria at all levels, come from the executive. At state level, budgets are prepared and presented to the legislature by the executive, every year and they (the executive) are the ones that determine if this project should go on or if that programme is worth government attention. It is also the executive that determines if funds should be released for this project or that programme. So let us say it is the executive that comprehensively determine how public money is spent to the minutest detail. This is what budget is all about; a compendium of government’s proposed income and expenditure. There is no government without money being appropriated and disbursed by the executive. What I am saying is that without these appropriations and disbursement of funds, government cannot and in fact does not exist. It is an important fact Nigerians must get used to, alongside the other fact that budgets are in reality designed for the people’s profitability.
It is an important fact Nigerians must get used to, alongside the other fact that budgets are in reality designed for the people’s profitability.
Now, the question will be, ‘who runs the budget’? Commissioners and heads of different Agencies and Departments of government are the ones running the budget and by implication the government, with the governor’s approval following a routine formality at the state executive council where approvals for whatever government considers important are given and funds consequently released, by the instruction of the governor. This is the reality. Accountants General of states release funds for any project that featured in the budget upon the governor’s instruction. While the commissioner’s salary and overhead is unclear, on average, each member of the State Assembly in Nigeria earns not less than N1.5 million monthly, in salary and other entitlements. The governor’s salary and entitlements are also not clear. Governors’ security vote is a state secret because of obvious reasons. Then again, House members pay for their official vehicle but commissioners and those in the executive are given status vehicles which they do not pay for. Of importance is that commissioners oversee the use of billions of naira budgeted for different public projects and programmes in the state’s budget, when the monies are released. In other words, at state level, questions relating to abandoned projects, substandard projects, neglected projects, infrastructure deficit and other public concerns of this nature, must be directed to the executive.
At national level, there is no much difference aside increase in salary and entitlements of federal lawmakers, the president, ministers and heads of federal parastatals. Just like in the states, billions allocated to different ministries are under the supervision and management of the minister in charge of the ministry. The priority of the government is determined by the president through the kind of projects and programmes he approves and directs funds to be released towards facilitating them. The legislature has no hand whatsoever in this.
This is however not to say that the legislature has no hand in this process. After budget presentation by the executive, the legislature later perform an oversight on the submitted budget which is generally called budget defense, where ministries meet the relevant committees in the legislature to explain their ministry’s budget. In some cases, certain adjustments are made by the legislature in the original appropriation submitted by the executive, before it is passed by the legislature. The legislature can and do perform further oversight on the executive to determine how government money has been disbursed or if a proposed project is going as approved or funds properly used as approved, among others. But they do not have power to determine what government must approve and release money for. The executive may also accept their input in a budget only to ignore same in the cause of the fiscal year or refuse to provide funding on the simple excuse that there are not enough funds, and it stands.
It should worry us that Nigerians are interested in how much lawmakers are making but not interested in how much governors, president and their executive council members are making, including how much they budget for their overhead and their security votes, especially when these allowances and entitlements run into stupendous amounts that can pay legislators entitlements and salaries, many times over with some change left. That Nigerians seem generally angered by the legislators’ salaries and entitlements but do not show as much concern, on lawmakers performing their oversight well or doing enough to hold the executive accountable, or what lawmakers do with their constituency funds, speaks to how frail and distracted Nigerians are, in their democracy. While we need to urgently cut down cost of governance, should we ignore the billions budgeted and spent yearly in our various states and by the federal government and focus only on lawmakers’ fat salaries?
As several states have submitted the 2021 draft estimates, Nigerians must pay careful attention and focus on what matters most. At the end, it may not matter who the people should hold more accountable. What matters is to know where to look when government is failing to meet their obligations to the people. Possibly, by any means, Nigerians should get their state’s budget and identify government projects and programmes that affect them. Then, ask questions. Demand explanations on why this project or programme was not undertaken or why this or that project was abandoned. What I am saying is that despite the huge frivolous legislators’ earnings and other mindboggling entitlements received by all government officials, there is still enough for projects and programmes that are designed to benefit the public which government budgets and releases funds for, every year throughout its tenure.
Yet there is nothing to show for it, for the most part. While people focus on legislators’ salaries, state and national budgets designed to improve the lives of the people have become mere formalities and major enabler of financial corruption and public fund diversion, yet, the people are not alarmed. Nigerians must be awake to their responsibility of correctly holding government officials firmly accountable.
♦ Ebuka Onyekwelu, strategic governance exponent, is a columnist with the WAP
