The Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Information, Enyinnaya Abaribe on Monday called on Nigerians, particularly those who have called for a reduction in the National Assembly’s budget, to direct their focus on the other arms of government which represents 97 percent of the National Budget, as the Assembly only represents three percent.
According to information from National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria has a poverty level of 65% while figures from the Ministry of Finance show that from 2005-2013, approximately N1 trillion was allocated to the National Assembly.
Reacting to the call for a reduction, Abaribe accused former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, of making statements that “has made the rest of the country feel that there is something untoward” about the monies allocated to the National Assembly adding that “the ministry of education under her, for the past 10 years, has gotten more than 300 billion per annum”.
“Why do we need a ministry of education if they have spent 3 trillion and we still have ASUU strike” he asked.
Mr Abaribe reiterated that the Assembly only gets 3% of the total National Budget adding that even if the Assembly is scrapped, there would still be 97% to contend with.
He continued by saying: “the right question to ask actually is, what exactly do we have to do to refuse the cost of governance?” adding that the focus should not be on the National Assembly which he described as a ‘little part”.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, he disclosed that the Assembly got N150 billion in allocation for the year 2013.
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