By CALEB AYANSINA

ABUJA – The Primate, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), the Most Revd Nicholas Okoh, Thursday, said that cutting down the expenses on the National Assembly would go a long way to reduce the cost of governance in the country.

The cleric maintained that salaries and allowances of those at the National Assembly and other appointees in public offices remain a major threat to the country’s finances.

Recently, President Muhammadu Buhari directed the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to review the excessive remunerations approved for political office holders.

But Okoh, who did not oppose to any legitimate measure taking by the government to block leakages in government, insisted that such action would not go a long way to tackle problem facing the country.

Okoh, who was speaking at the just concluded of a 2-day conference of Anglican Arch-Bishops and Bishops of the Northern part of Nigeria, held in Kubwa, Abuja, suggested that those in the National Assembly should be on part-time basis like in some countries to cut down the government expenditure.

His words; “I think that, to reduce the cost of governance requires more than reducing salary, it requires a structural adjustment, that is to say, should people in parliament be there on permanent basis or part-time basis? So, that if they are there on part-time basis they earn allowances, but as it is now, they are employed in the business of lawmaking.

“Therefore, the country has to chose, if really we want to reduce the cost of governance, reducing salary is not going to be much, because the salary in itself is not much. So, what comes out of it after reduction is not going to be much.

“But if we take a much serious approach as it was being done in the past. Let those who are member of the parliament do so on part-time basis, then, it becomes possible to have a reduction of expenses being made on the lawmakers. But just reducing salary will not solve much problem.

“Aside that, there are other leakages; there is duplication in various government offices, this also needs to be looked into. So, that government would pay actually for the services it receives.”

Speaking on the situation in the north east, the Primate noted that the region is not safe for worshipers either Muslims or Christians to worship, without fear of being attacked by terrorists.

He said; “though the situation appears to be fair, threat to security has not died down. People are not yet free to go to church in the areas affected by Boko Haram. Government needs to restore confidence in the people to trust in the leadership.”

Okoh called on everybody to cooperate with government to fight those who carry it on their heads to scatter the country, saying “if we don’t unite against terror, we will all become refuges in another man’s country, God forbids.”