By Abdulwahab Abdulah

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP has requested the leadership of the National Assembly to publicly account how lawmakers spent N500 billion as running cost between 2006 and 2016, as well as the monthly income and allowances of each Senator and member of the House of Representatives.

Dogara and Saraki

In a request made under the Freedom of Information Act, SERAP in the letter by it’s Executive Director, Tokunbo Mumuni, noted that; “Secrecy in parliamentary spending has resulted in lapse of accountability for Senators and members of the House of Representatives, and this could ultimately endanger the healthy development of the rule of law and good governance in the country.”

The body which has threatened to drag the parliaments to court, if its request was ignored, said the step was taken after reviewing the disclosure by Abdulmumin Jibrin that, “Nigerian Senators and House of Representatives members have pocketed N500 billion as ‘running cost’ out of the N1 trillion provided for in the National Assembly budgets between 2006 and 2016, and by former president Olusegun Obasanjo that each Senator goes home with nothing less than N15m monthly, while each member receives nothing less than N10 million monthly.”

The letter dated November 25, 2016 states in part that, “We are seriously concerned that details of the National Assembly budgets and income and allowances received by its members over the years remain shrouded in secrecy, and hidden from Nigerians. Alleged stealing or mismanagement of N500 billion of public funds may be responsible for the economic crisis and attendant hardships being faced by millions of Nigerians. Transparency in the spending by the National Assembly and income of its members is a key element of justice.”