RANDOM THOTS
Â
Nigerians are a curious lot. They want to know how much a legislator takes home in a month. They want to know who wins contract bids and for how much. They want to know how a governor spends his security vote. They want to know how political campaign funds are spent.
They even want to know exactly how much a non-governmental organisation (NGO) or civil society organisation (CSO) gets from a donor or funder. Well, one cannot blame the citizens; after all billions of dollars have been siphoned and spirited away by powers-that-be over the years.
Now the issue of how much a legislator makes on a monthly and yearly basis has been on the front-burner in recent weeks, thanks to some inquiries made by a vocal NGO, the Socio-Economic Rights Accountability Project (SERAP).
This same exposure has set many furious citizens scurrying to the homes of their representatives to collect the usual legislative payoffs and now also harry them to confirm if they are actually collecting those huge millions that are been mentioned in the media. And of course, not one single lawmaker, both past and currently serving, has come out to enumerate how much a Representative or Senator grosses in a month or year.
The simple truth is that the more the legislators continue to deny the figures and fantastic allowances being bandied about, the more suspicious the people would be, and the more delicate the situation is likely to become.
Modern-day governance is all about open government, transparency and accountability. If the honourables have nothing to hide, then they should speak up freely about their take-homes. To regain the trust of the citizens, it is time for their elected representatives to declare their assets…simple solution
Â
Â