Political Or Economic Malpractice: Which Is Worse? (2) By Magnus Onyibe

IT may be recalled that, sometime in in 2009-10,when some Members of Parliament, MPs in the U.K were discovered to be receiving mortgages for both London homes and residences in their constituent/ homestead, there was outrage by British tax payers and the MPs were compelled to refund the sums of money that had illegally accrued to them.

In the wake of the scandal, Christopher Booker, a columnist in the UK Telegraph wrote a blistering opinion article on May 7, 2009 where he lampooned indicted MPs thus: “Infantilized by their lack of a proper grown-up job to do, it is hardly surprising that, with honorable exceptions, the army of ciphers making up our political class speak almost entirely in cliches, bristle with moralistic self righteousness, have little idea of how we are actually governed and resort to fiddling their expenses”.

Mr Booker concluded by saying “l was incidentally, interested to see Mr Elliot Morley (one of three indicted MPs) fingered for claiming his non-existent mortgage, since more than once he has gone out of his way to speak abusively about this column in parliament”. Aside from the legislative arm,the executive arm of govt in Nigeria is equally guilty of cheating tax paying citizens.

Enjoyment of the social amenities

Please note that I emphasized that the cheating is perpetrated against tax paying Nigerians only because those dodging or not paying tax at all, are excluded as they are also guilty of the crime of cheating fellow citizens by not paying tax while enjoying the social amenities that tax money provides. Investigations reveal that a handful of former governors,who are also enjoying pensions as ex governors, are in the current cabinet of ministers of the federal republic.

The list features: Chris Ngige, labour; Kayode Fayemi, solid minerals; Rotimi Amaechi, transport and Babatunde Fashola, works, power and housing. Again, it is sad and unfortunate that ex-governors who are now senators and ministers in cohort with their respective state houses of assembly selfishly packaged the scandalously generous pension packages for themselves without considering the consequences that such financial burden could exact on the lean resources available to states for the sustainability of the social wellbeing of other members of society.

Clearly, institutionalized selfishness, as identified above, which is a form of political malpractice, is one of the many ways that govt has been cheating the citizenry. It may appear minor and perhaps innocuous on the surface, but upon closer scrutiny, it actually constitutes significant strain on the nation’s dwindling resources especially now that most state govts are owing workers backlog of salaries. According to some online publications, in Akwa Ibom State, the law provides that ex governors and deputy governors receive pension equivalent to the salaries of the incumbent.

Residential accommodation

The package also includes a new official car and a utility vehicle every four years; one personal aide; a cook, chauffeurs and security guards for the governor at a sum not exceeding N5 million per month and N2.5 million for the deputy governor.

In Rivers State , it is alleged that the law provides 100 percent of annual basic salaries for the ex-governor and deputy; one residential accommodation for the former governor “anywhere of his choice in Nigeria”; one residence anywhere in Rivers state for the deputy;three cars for the ex-governor and two cars for the ex deputy every four years.

It is also alleged that in Lagos, a former governor is entitled to two houses, one in Lagos and another in Abuja, estimated at N500 million in Lagos and N700 million in Abuja. The ex governor is also entitled to receive six new cars to be replaced every three years; a furniture allowance of 300 percent of annual salary to be paid every two years, and N30 million pension income annually for life. Since some of the information above are not published on the websites of the state govts, one can not independently verify the claims, but as the saying goes, there is no smoke without fire.