Ribadu, Mark clash over National Assembly budget

A former Chairman of the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission,
Nuhu Ribadu and the outgoing
Senate President, David Mark, on
Monday disagreed on the need for
National Assembly to cut its budget
in line with the current economic
realities in the country.
They spoke at a retreat organised
for the Peoples Democratic Party
National Assembly members-elect
in Port Harcourt, Rivers state.
Ribadu had stirred up a hornet’s
nest by calling on the lawmakers-
elect to make their monthly
salaries public and also cut their
budgets. His call immediately
attracted side talks by the
participants which included
governors and the leadership of
the PDP.
Obviously aware that his advice
was not being welcomed by
majority of the lawmakers-elect,
the former anti-corruption czar,
reminded them that they would be
going to the National Assembly as
the minority.
He said that Nigerians would not
support the PDP if they (Nigerians)
did not know what was earmarked
for the National Assembly and how
much a senator or a House of
Representatives member earns.
Ribadu, who was the PDP’s
Adamawa State governorship
candidate for the March 28
election, pointed out that
patriotism and quality
contributions by members of the
PDP in the National Assembly
would go a long way in
reinventing and preparing the
party for a successful comeback in
future elections.
He said, “If Nigerians do not know
how much is earmarked for the
National Assembly or how much
money a senator earns, they will
not support you. We must
understand the pulse or the mood
of the nation.
“The first step, therefore, is to open
up the National Assembly by
ensuring transparency. Public office
is what it is; public. Also, at this
critical time of austerity, be
champions by slashing your own
budget.
“My very good friend, Ben Bruce (a
senator-elect) has already spoken
about this. There are many others
already saying it. For you to excel,
you must put in extra effort than
your colleagues in other parties.”
He stressed that the PDP
lawmakers-elect must not only be
champions of probity and
discipline, they must wage war
against corruption in the system
and ensure strict compliance with
appropriation as well as due
process.
Ribadu added, “As legislators, you
will be going to the National
Assembly as the minority. There is
a sense of personal loss no doubt;
but there are good opportunities
for all and democratic practice in
Nigeria.
“Your patriotism and quality
contributions as members of the
National Assembly will go a long
way in reinventing our party and
preparing it for a successful
comeback in subsequent elections.
“You must demonstrate personal
will and commitment towards
being above board if you really
want to checkmate others. The first
charge for you is to be champions
of probity in the workings of the
National Assembly as well as the
Legislature-Executive relations.”
But Mark, who showed his
dissatisfaction with Ribadu’s
charge, wondered why “every
time, people will talk about
National Assembly budget.”
Explaining that the budget of the
Assembly had always been in
public domain, the outgoing
President of the Senate argued that
Senators and House of
Representatives members had
always made sacrifices in line with
the nation’s economic realities.
“Every time, people will talk about
National Assembly budget; for
Heaven’s sake, unless you would
say you have never seen the
national budget, it is a public
document. The National Assembly
budget is there with every other
budget,” he stated in an angry
tone.
Mark,who added that the National
Assembly members “ were the first
to make a cut in 2015 budget,” said
that “ people should appreciate
what we are doing and not to come
and give an impression that our
budget is bloated while every
other person had made a cut.”
He stated further, “We are trying
our best more than any ministry
today. I can put my hand on my
chest without fear of contradiction
at all and say we made a lot of
sacrifices in our budgeting system.
“Our budget is open; what we earn
as National Assembly members is
open. If anybody wants to receive
his salary and donate it, he is free
to do so. He does not need to
consult us. I think we should not
play politics with what is a very
serious issue. Our budget is in the
open and everybody can see it.”
Mark however charged the PDP
lawmakers-elect and other PDP
members to always speak in one
voice.
He said, “We must subject our
individual interest for our group
interest. In the election of principal
officers of National Assembly, we
must vote in one accord. We must
know that united we stand, divided
we fall.
“We must take our destinies in our
hands. We must be ready to
provide credible, vibrant,
determined and focused
opposition to the party in power in
a manner that would guarantee
development and good
governance.
“In doing so, we must maintain a
strong synergy between our
members in the National Assembly
and the National Working
Committee. The PDP is still a brand
all Nigerians know. We just need to
reinvent the wheels and move
forward.”
He decried the spate of defections
from the PDP to the All
Progressives Congress after the
elections and appealed to those
remaining to be steadfast with the
ideology of the party.
In his keynote address , Deputy
Senate President Ike Ekweremadu
maintained that playing the role of
the opposition was not a death
sentence, but a soul searching for
the way out of the predicament.
Ekweremadu stated that the PDP
stood a great chance of regaining
power in 2019 should its members
put their house in order.
He added that the governors
elected on the platform of the PDP
were expected to play a major role
in restoring the party’s fortunes.
Ekweremadu said, “May I also
remind you that you have a big role
to play in restoring the political
fortunes of the PDP because PDP
governed-states will now be the
major yardsticks for evaluating our
performance in the next four years.
“I call on you to demonstrate
unbeatable and undisputable
capacity for good governance such
as would stand the PDP-governed
states out as models in uncommon
transformation and actualisation of
all the blessings and promises that
democracy holds.”
Earlier, Governors of Rivers State,
Nyesom Wike, Seriake Dickson of
Bayelsa; and other governors, who
were elected on the platform of the
PDP gave various strategies on how
the party could regain power at
the centre in 2019.

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