Gbajabiamila Calls For Publication Of Lawmakers’ Allowances

Femi Gbajabiamila
The Majority Leader in the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila has called on the National Assembly to publish the breakdown of all allowances received by legislators. This, he said, will correct the conflicting figures being circulated in the public.

Speaking at an interactive session with newsmen in Abuja Friday, Gbajabiamila said the call became necessary, as Nigeria is at a point where full disclosure of the activities or funding of all tiers of government matters.

“Until you open up your books to the public, let them look at how much you earn, and break that payment down into sub-heads, and what that payment is for, it is after you open that up, that the debate on whether it is too much or too little can now begin. For instance, if you bring it down, say for transportation, this is how much a lawmaker gets, the public can determine whether that X amount is too much for transportation or not,” he said.

“But to roll everything up in a ball pack – there are a lot of conflicting figures – you leave yourself vulnerable to speculation as a legislator if you are not transparent and you don’t open up your books. So, I am for the National Assembly to open up its book to the public, publish it,” Gbajabiamila added.