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| Ayuba Wabba |
- CSOs condemn Senate over CCT amendment
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) monday
warned the Senate to return about 108 Toyota Land Cruiser sports
utility vehicles (SUVs) it bought for senators or face the wrath of the
Nigerian people who are at the moment facing excruciating economic pains
and hardship.
NLC President, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, said in
Abuja that the purchase of the cars was wrong and insensitive in the
face of the suffering of the masses.
According to Wabba, “We consider as
appalling, insensitive and greedy the decision of the Senate to acquire
108 Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles (one for each member, except the Senate
president) after collecting ‘car loans’ in August last year for the
same purpose.
“It is equally morally despicable and
shameful that they are doing this after publicly admitting that the
standing committees of the Senate are unable to perform their statutory
functions due to the paucity of funds.”
NLC observed that the temerity of the
Senate to go ahead with the purchase of the 108 Toyota SUVs after
pocketing the car loans amounted to a criminal act calculated to short
change the nation.
“We at the Nigeria Labour Congress
equally consider it a willful and grievous criminal act, the inflation
of the unit cost of each of the cars by over a 100 per cent, as each car
supposedly cost N35.1 million instead of N17 million.
“Aside from this, Nigerians are keen to
know from where they got the money for the purchase of these cars
without appropriation. The defence offered by the Senate spokesperson,
Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, is laughable and childish.
“According to him, Special Advisers (in
the presidency) use SUVs, why not senators or do Nigerians expect them
to trek to work? And in any case, cars are capital projects,” Wabba
quoted him as stating.
Wabba continued: “Couldn’t this have
been put to better use such as the constituency projects of these same
senators? At a time of severe economic challenges and deepening poverty
in the land, can the Senate afford this level of reckless luxury and
arrogance?
“The answer is, ‘No’. Their multiple
acts of criminality, ranging from acquiring these cars after previously
taking loans for the same purpose; spending money without appropriation
and over inflating costs constitute not just corruption but a crime
against the Nigerian people whom they claim to represent.
“Accordingly, we demand they return
those cars to whoever supplied them or the appropriate agencies
prosecute them for corruption. In the event none of these happens, they
should be prepared to keep a date with Nigerian workers and their civil
society allies including market women and students. No one is above the
law.”
In the same breath, civil society groups
yesterday confronted the Senate over its amendment of the Code of
Conduct Bureau CCB) and the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) Act.
Civil Society Legislative Advocacy
Centre’s (CISLAC) executive director Auwal Ibrahim Rafsanjani at a
briefing in Abuja stated that the attempt by the Senate to water down
the current CCB and CCT Act would not serve the nation any good.
He said: “The civil society
organisations (CSOs) working to promote justice and good governance in
Nigeria have been monitoring with consternation the ongoing
undemocratic, self-serving, and dubious attempt by the Senate of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria to hasten the passage of the proposed
amendment of the law setting up the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the
Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).”
He recalled the ongoing trial of Senate
President Bukola Saraki at the CCT, and the startling and mind-boggling
revelations that have emerged about how the Senate president received
double pay long after he ceased to occupy the governorship position of
his home state of Kwara.
According to him, “The senate president
is also in the dock over allegations of false and anticipatory
declarations of assets. He is also alleged to have breached the law by
keeping secret foreign accounts in offshore tax havens, as confirmed in
the leaked Panama papers.
“The so called distinguished fellow has
equally been accused of forging the Senate rules. These are weighty
allegations, which ordinarily should have compelled Senator Saraki to
step down and use the judicial process to clear his name.”
Also, Kola Banwo, a member of another
CSO, explained that the end game of the Senate is to strip the tribunal
of the powers to sanction corrupt individuals and eventually mutilate
the current CCB law.
He said: “Mr. Saraki shows disdain and
contempt to Nigerians and the rule of law by closing down the senate and
carrying a majority of senators to the tribunal whenever he has to
appear before it.
“The senators who are paid to carry out
their legislative duties abandon their work to go and provide solidarity
to someone charged with a criminal act.”
Banwo contended that the passage of the
bill would portray the Senate in a bad light, and as a betrayal of
public trust, the total disregard for administration of justice and
utmost conflict of interest on the part of the Eighth Senate.
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