One of the hardest working legislatures in the world is about to get a pat on the back for their magnificent effort in turning Nigeria around. They have done so well that Nigeria is now a pacesetter in the annals of world legislation, sarcastically speaking. The distinguished senators are getting ready to take delivery of their official Toyota Land Cruiser jeeps as reported by the Nation Newspaper. The Nation reports that “the cost per unit of the 2011 model of the jeep obtained from the manufacturer’s website is $100,724 – about 16,115,840 Naira. The total cost of the vehicles for the 109 senators is put at over 1.7 billion Naira” Senators choose Land cruiser jeep because it has unique and superior features. Why try to qualify it your honor, we already know you deserve the best.
The senators opted for Toyota Camry at a unit cost of 9 million Naira in the sixth senate. Senate term runs for 4 years, so every 4 years, the senators’ gets a new car. Some of the senators who are reelected get more cars. At the end of each term, they low-ball the prices and ask the senators to buy the cars for a minimal price. So if a senator is re-elected, they get another car each time, which means a senator can accumulate up-to four or more cars if he or she keeps getting re-elected. This is another indication that bad leadership is the bane of Nigeria. Nigeria leaders have failed Nigerians time and time again. The leaders appears to look at Nigerians they are governing as their subjects who must sit back and take left-over instead of being servant leaders.
Analysis of salaries and compensation of Nigerian officials indicates that Nigerian senator earns more than president Barack Obama of United states who make $400,000 per annum and British Prime minister, David Cameron, who makes 190,000 pounds.
According to Professor Sagay, “ a Nigerian senator earns $1.7 million in salaries and allowances while his House of Representative counterpart earns about $1.45 million per annum. American senator earns $174,000 per annum while a UK parliamentarian earns about $64,000 per annum, which is very low compared to that of Nigerian lawmakers.”
How can a anybody with common sense square what Nigerian lawmakers are hauling in when compared with dismal standard of living and poverty ravaging the country they lord over. The recent data from National Bureau of Statistics calculated Nigeria misery index at 34 percent, a terrible and horrible development. The misery index measures were calculated by using unemployment and inflation rate of the country. According to the bureau, the unemployment figure was 23.9 percent in the first half of 2011, up from 21.1 percent in 2010 and 19.7 percent in 2009. Unemployment was highest among youths between 15 and 24, 25 and 44. Analysts’ thinks that Nigerian economy will fair worse in 2012 as its misery index slips further down to 40 percent.
Nigerians will continue to hold their leaders in low esteem till they change course. Current systemic looting of Nigerian treasury will be unsustainable in the run long. Overtime, Nigerians confidence and hope in democracy will wane. That will probably open the door for another demagogue in military uniform who will promise Nigerians heaven and earth there-bye returning Nigeria back to square one. Corruption and bad leadership is a cancer that must be removed before Nigeria will make significant advance. Former speaker of the House of Representative, Mr. Bankole was recently acquitted of corruption despite the fact that his personal wealth quadrupled in four years while he was the speaker. Most of the governors arrested by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) are still roaming the streets of Nigeria and Europe while laughing all the way to the bank.
Nigerian public must start shunning people with ill-gotten wealth instead of glorifying and genuflecting before them. We know this people and the source of their wealth. Nigerians engage in double standard by accommodating perpetuators of white- collar crimes like some of the politicians while being merciless and intolerant of blue-collar crime. Both crimes must be treated equally with the seriousness it deserves. Nigerian must take a stand and say enough is enough.
Key: $1.00= 150 Naira