Each member of the Oyo State House of Assembly is to receive N20m as constituency allowance, courtesy of the Governor, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala.

A source exclusively our correspondent that the money would be paid in two tranches of N10m, with the first instalment said to be ready for collection.

The governor is also said to have arranged a 10-day foreign trip for the lawmakers, scheduled for May 19 to 29.

The source said, “This is the final straw that will break the back of the legislative arm of government. Before now they have been a rubber stamp of the executive.

“Now that they are being induced with N20m, there is nothing the governor send to them that will not be passed. I don’t know the meaning of this constituency thing when these lawmakers are not contractors.”

It was, however, gathered that the lawmakers had been on the neck of the governor since last year to approve the constituency allowance for them, which he delayed till this year on the excuse that it could not be accommodated in last year’s budget.

The lawmakers were said to have upped this year’s appropriation bill to cater for the constituency allowance, while the governor had been reluctant to release the money until last month.

Alao-Akala, however, varied the payment term by opting to first pay N10m, with a pledge to pay the remaining N10m by the last quarter of the year.

The lawmakers were said to have initially rejected the proposal, saying that their counterparts in the neighbouring states got a lump sum of N20m as constituency allowance.

Soon after they bowed to the proposal, it was again learnt that another disagreement arose when the governor insisted that five per cent of the N10m would be deducted as Value Added Tax.

After a heated debate that lasted for a few days, the lawmakers were said to have succumbed to the governor by agreeing to collect N9.5m each.

On the foreign trip, it was learnt that a company in which an unnamed government official had interest had tabled a proposal before the governor for the lawmakers to travel to the United States of America, Canada or London.

While the lawmakers were billed to attend a “legislative training workshop” for six days, it was gathered that the remaining four days was added to enable them to relax.

The source said the lawmakers would know their destination when they received their visa being processed in Lagos by this week.

The lawmakers would also receive another sum as estacode for the journey, which the executive had not made public.

Confirming the findings by our correspondent in a telephone interview on Monday, the Speaker of the House, Mr. Moroof Atilola, said there was nothing strange in the allowance and the proposed foreign trip.

The Leader of the All Nigeria Peoples Party in the House, Mr. Abiodun Awoleye, shared similar sentiment in a separate interview with our correspondent.

According to the speaker, the lawmakers have not been treated differently from their counterparts in other parts of the country.

Uche2nna:


Can somebody educate me on the meaning of " constituency allowance" ?

Uche2nna:


Can somebody educate me on the meaning of " constituency allowance" ?

Blatant:

What a waste!!!

These are the people that citizens voted for?
until people learn not to sing praises of those who impoverish them, they will continue to suffer

Uche2nna:

Can somebody educate me on the meaning of " constituency allowance" ?

Can somebody educate me on the meaning of " constituency allowance"

Blatant:

What a waste!!!

These are the people that citizens voted for?
until people learn not to sing praises of those who impoverish them, they will continue to suffer

4 Him:

Constituency allowance: A bogus term used to refer to a form of financial inducement for lawbreakers in order to lubricate the machinery of executive looting. See also bribery, greasing the palm.

landis:

Money to be spent on:

1 spread info in their community

3. rent office/employ people in their community

4. travels for house issues in their community etc

It is within the law but most of these guys pocket the money.

The community of each members should be asking questions.

Jamco45:

We don't need to lie to ourselves. Most or all of our politicians are theives. Its hard to find someone honest and if you do people he meets in government will either corrupt him through threats and blackmail or he will simply join them. You are talking about how it should be, you are right but I am looking for a solution. Pay them well to moltivate them.
Don't get me wrong its not only the politicians that needs to be paid well. Police, Army, Doctors, Lecturers, Teachers, Nurses, civil servants all need to be paid well. We all know what these guys get up to just to make fast buck.
We need to turn that mentality around and look for solutions instead of dwelling on how things should be. I was a civil servant in UK before starting my business and I can tell you that the job was well paid (London standard), Police is a good job, Lectuers are extremely well paid etc. We cannot keep neglecting these profession and expect them not to steal.

Naija president earns just under N3,000,000 a year (not sure of the figure), common a whole president? I earn that easily in a month. Why won't they steal. UK prime minister earns about £190,000 and all expenses the difference is clear. Nigeria can afford to pay these professionals well so they can govern us with honestly and sincerity.

Sky Blue:

@Jamco45, i don't think your comparison with UK in this case is valid. Firstly, UK is an expensive place to live in period. London alone has a very high cost of living that is why when people come to England on holiday from the nstates they find it hard to cope with expenses because of the cost of things. Comparing the price of things in UK with the price of things in Nigeria will immediately mshow this and it is even deeper than that. For a president that is fed by tax money, transported by tax money, clothed by tax money (check out all the allowances they get) in Nigeria i really don't think that figure is so unreasonable. Another thing you have to factor in is the difference in the money earned by him and the surrounding standard of living. I really do think it would be the height of insensitivity if we have a situation whereby the leaders live in disgusting oppulence while everyone ,else suffers. Increasing salary to those ammount in my opinion only become validated when the standard of living around the country increases. Pay them more so they don't steal? I find that quite funny. No one forced anyone to be a leader did they? Is it by force? And that my friend is why it is so annoying. There are so many people who want to enter these positions to simply lead and develop the nation. So don't speak as if every Nigerian is corrupt and only wants to get in to loot. If certain people just left Nigeria alone and left people who are serious about leadership then things will change in a much shorter time than you think.

sheniqua:

My brother na wa o
The man is talking as if the presidency was forced on them and they couldn't help themselves.
If you're offered a job you applied for knowing the salary do you go in there and steal funds because they don't pay you well when you had the opportunity not to have even applied?

Jamco45:

Naija president earns just under N3,000,000 a year (not sure of the figure), common a whole president? I earn that easily in a month. Why won't they steal. UK prime minister earns about £190,000 and all expenses the difference is clear. Nigeria can afford to pay these professionals well so they can govern us with honestly and sincerity.

blacksta:

The level of corruption in this country is a joke. The question is are their any honest person or people in this country

blacksta:

The level of corruption in this country is a joke. The question is are their any honest person or people in this country

SENATOR JD:

of course there are, its just that the number of get-rich-quick insects biting people have increased. a large percent of nigerians want to own the best of properties(cars, phones,houses, clothes) without working for the monet, imagin a secondary school boy that has never worked for a dime in his freaking life saying he wants to buy a car now, with no money in his pocket or account tell me y he might, note might not go duping someone or stealling?everyone is getting mad about get this or get that forgetting that life is in stages and men are in sizes

goshen360:

SENATOR JD,

You are absolutely correct my brother. The craze for wealth has turn the economy of this country into what it is today. We need RIVIVAL in all aspect of this copuntry.

oziomatv:

If we don't take control of these situation we will forever live in this commotion.