Ndlp National Chairman Urges Fg To Make National Assembly Job Part Time To Reduce Cost

By Ahmed Abu, The Nigerian Voice, Maiduguri
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A former Presidential aspirant under the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), Alhaji Muhammadu Umaru Maizabura has called on the Federal government to make the job of the members of the National Assembly less attractive by making it part time, so as to reduce the cost of governance.

Alhaji Muhammadu Maizabura who is also the National Chairman of National Democratic Liberty Party (NDLP) stated this while reacting to the recent statement of Senator Shehu Sani that each senator is earning N13.5 million in addition to N750,000 monthly, in an interview with newsmen in Maiduguri on Tuesday.

He said, “ this money is two much that is why this country is in recession despite the enormous resources God has endowed this nation with.

“The job of the National Assembly members should be made part time basis by paying them sitting allowance and not salaries, thereby saving huge amount of money to be redirected to agricultural sector, more especially rice production with a view to enable the nation feed itself and also diversify our economy through export”.

Maizabura added that the cost of running the National Assembly was too much, as such, the number of members of the senate should be reduced to 50, while the House of Representatives membership should also be streamlined to 150 members.

He said this will definitely reduce cost of governance as the large bulk of the nation’s budget was spent on the senators and House members at the detriment of the civil servants and Nigerian masses or the poor who are at the receiving end .

“It is disheartening to see civil servants who are the engine room of the nations development suffering while one term senator or a politician becomes a billionaire within a short time.

"Please some of these money should go to the payment of salaries, arrears and pension of the civil servans that are dying in hunger due to non-payment of salaries and pension across the states of the federation,” Umar said.

He further called on the government to give more powers to political parties and ensure adequate provision of funds to the political parties to avoid a situation where these politicians are left to fund the political parties.

The National Chairman of NDLP argued that if politicians are allowed to continue to sponsor or finance political parties, they will continue to manipulate and control the political parties for their selfish personal interest, even when people do not longer want them in office.