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The 108 Luxury Jeeps for Senators, Kleptocracy and Nigeria’s Version of Democracy By Dr Abubakar Alkali
The purchase of 108 exotic, posh, exclusive and luxury Toyota land cruiser jeeps by the Nigerian senate under the guise of ‘oversight functions’ has generated more dust than any other issue apart from Obasanjo’s third term bid since Nigeria’s current adventure as a democracy 17 years ago. Through the purchase of the exotic jeeps at a time when a cross section of Nigerians cannot afford one decent meal, the ‘distinguished’ senators have officially drawn a battle line against the good people of Nigeria. The total rejection of the illegal purchase of the cars by the good people of Nigeria is aptly demonstrated by the birth of the inspiring movement ‘The OccupyNASS which could turn out to be the nemesis of corruption in the legislative arm of government.
It is imperative to add here that the purchase of the 108 posh and luxury jeeps is not only misplaced, unwarranted and illegal but also a clear manifestation of gross insensitivity by our senators to the current crushing economic hardship faced by majority of Nigerians. While our senators are busy purchasing the best jeeps on offer, about 9 out of every 10 Nigerians are so poor that they cannot afford one decent meal. Indeed if anyone needs luxury cars, it is the good people of Nigeria who are currently struggling to survive under the York of an unprecedented economic squeeze and extreme poverty. The economic situation in Nigeria is so serious that some parents send their children early to bed because they cannot afford dinner and wake the children up late because they cannot afford breakfast. To most families in Nigeria, the only guarantee is a late lunch based on a single meal per day formula.
The senators have collected car loans and were duly paid N9 million each in August last year yet they turned back to collect luxury Jeeps whose cost was inflated to N35.1 million each. This means that each senator had cost the tax payers N44.1 million in the name of buying a new car for ‘oversight functions’. The Nigerian labour congress (NLC) has confirmed that the cost of the cars was inflated by more than 100% from the actual cost of N17 million to N35.1 million. This adds salt to injury! As a matter of fact, one of the senators has confirmed that he collected car loan in August last year.
The sharing formula of the luxury cars is designed such that the senate President is allocated 11 luxury and posh Mercedes benz cars (You bet the cars will not surface in his asset declaration forms), the deputy senate President is allocated 5 luxury Mercedes benz cars, the senate leader and each principal officer in the senate is allocated two cars while each senator takes one car. This gives credence to the widely held belief that the number of luxury cars to be shared among senators is about 160 and not 108.
Before i risk being unfair, it is pertinent that I acknowledge the outstanding and exemplary stand of Senator Kabir Marafa (APC, Zamfara Central) for his opposition to the purchase of the cars. From the onset, distinguished senator Marafa has carried himself in a decent and respectable manner by standing shoulder to shoulder with the good people of Nigeria on the issue of the purchase of the cars. Even at the risk of being susceptible to in-house attacks and ‘friendly fire’ from his own colleagues in the senate, Senator Marafa has maintained that the senators do not need any new cars.
In his interview with the Daily trust published several months ago on 13th January 2016, senator Marafa said the senators do not need any new cars and they (senators) should make sacrifices based on the economic situation in the country. Senator Marafa even suggested that the senators should use their own cars to carry out any ‘oversight functions’ as a mark of sensitivity and solidarity with their constituents: The good people of Nigeria.
Unarguably, Senator Marafa has through his actions on and off the floor of the senate in the last 10 months, distinguished himself as the last man standing against corruption in the Nigerian senate.
Indeed democracy is about service to the people not to oneself. Democracy is about upholding strong ethical values and responsibility which is not in tandem with the purchase of the luxury cars for senators. By definition, democracy is simply a form of government in which all stakeholders including the people and entire followership are involved in the decision making process.
It follows that if an overwhelming vast majority of the good people of Nigeria are against the purchase of the cars and the senators still go ahead to buy the cars, the meaning of democracy has been turned the other way round to the Nigerian people.
It means that Nigeria is operating a different version of democracy from the conventional one and we are operating kleptocacy not democracy which portends serious danger to our existence as a nation supposedly governed through the rule of law and constructional democracy. Under Kleptocracy as a system of government, the feudal lords create and export absolute poverty on the people in order to divert their attention. While the people are busy trying to survive, the feudal lords are busy pillaging their resources.
Kleptocracy is a virus that can destroy any nation because under kleptocracy, a nation is run by feudal lords who emasculate the masses from governance. These feudal lords shield the people from the scheme of things so that they don’t get to know how their resources are plundered by those entrusted with these resources. The feudal lords hide under the cover of darkness to visit hardship on the people and distract them while they (the feudal lords) loot the resources of the people.
The purchase of the exotic cars by the senators runs counter to the principle, ideology and change agenda of the current government under the able leadership of our President, Muhammadu Buhari (PMB). By the purchase of the cars, the senators are literally running a separate programme which to all intents and purposes is completely different from the one being run by PMB. While a prudent President Buhari and his vice Prof Osinbajo jointly rejected the fleet of cars allocated to them, our federal legislators did exactly the opposite by spending a whopping N10 billion to buy the cars (including the 360 posh cars for the members of the house of representatives).
In an inspirational decision, President Buhari said the cars he inherited from former President Jonathan can last him another 10 years so he doesn’t need any new cars! That’s leadership by example. Mr President has demonstrated prudent management by cutting down on almost all bogus and unrealistic government expenditure in the executive and judiciary. Nigerians expect that our senators will borrow a leaf from the President and reject the luxury cars as a mark of sacrifice and a demonstration of their sensitivity to the current economic squeeze and strangulation that Nigerians are going through.
Nigerians are fully in support of our President Muhammadu Buhari, the nemesis of corruption in Nigeria, father of anti-corruption in Africa and the undisputed leader in the global war against corruption to beam the corruption searchlight on the legislative arm and continue to protect the lean resources of our dear country.
Indeed our senators cannot use the theoretical constitutional provision of principle of separation of powers in Chapter 1, part 11 section 4 (1), (2), (3) and (4) (a) and (b) to buy new cars in the name of ‘oversight functions’ while poverty continues to ravage our communities. Civil servants in some parts of Nigeria are owed salary for up to 8 months, there is a global economic downturn occasioned by the free fall of oil prices, there is a gruelling fuel scarcity that is threatening to grind the nation to a halt. The current mood of the nation doesn’t support the purchase of any new cars for our senators. Indeed some analysts believe that our senators don’t even need the luxury cars because there is no senator who doesn’t own at least 5 posh cars which he/she acquired through government.
If the senators consistently tell their constituents to make sacrifices because ‘there is no money’ while they themselves are not ready for any sacrifice, then the applicable system of government in that respect is kleptocracy not democracy. Senators should be role models who should set examples for other political office holders to follow.
One of the reasons given by our senators as a justification to purchase the new luxury jeeps was that members of state houses of assembly also use Prado Jeeps and even SA’s of ministers use Jeeps as their official cars. This reason is disturbing to say the least and portends danger to our democracy because it shows that our leaders are more interested in the continued sustenance of the status quo as long as it promotes a quid pro quo through which public office holders use their positions to acquire wealth.
Senators are at the highest ebb of the ladder and the youths look up to them for guidance and direction and should correct the wrongs rather than encourage it. In Hausa language, the senate is referred to as ‘Majalisar Dattijai’ translated in English as the ‘parliament of respected elders’. To whom so much is given, so much is expected.
The Nigerian constitution 1999 as amended based on which the senate exists and one which the senators have sworn to preserve starts with the caption:
We the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Having firmly and solemnly resolve, to live in unity and harmony as one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign nation under God, dedicated to the promotion of inter-African solidarity, world peace, international co-operation and understanding
And to provide for a Constitution for the purpose of promoting the good government and welfare of all persons in our country, on the principles of freedom, equality and justice, and for the purpose of consolidating the unity of our people
The constitution is clear in chapter 11, section 14 (2) (a) that power and sovereignty belongs to the people and government derives its legitimacy from the people. If the people of Nigeria are against the purchase of the cars, why can’t our senators drop the idea in its entirety? The opt-repeated mantra of ‘oversight functions’ cannot be used to justify the purchase of the cars as everyone knows that the new cars are just personal belongings of the senators and not really meant for any oversight functions.
Legislative oversight finds its place in section 88, 1(a), (b) and 2, (a), (b) of the 1999 constitution as amended and is meant to provide checks, balance and accountability in government. Section 88, sub section 2 (b) of the constitution which covers oversight functions states that the duties of the national assembly includes exposing waste, corruption and inefficiency in government. This makes it imperative that the senators should return the cars in the spirit of oversight functions because oversight function is all about cutting down on waste and promoting fiscal discipline.
Oversight functions are no longer fashionable as they are allegedly considered to be weapons used by our legislators to curry favours from MDA’s which has now spiked the debate as to whether the oversight functions are actually used as watch dog or a hunting dog (Ejike Jombo Nwagwu 2014).
Are legislative oversight functions used for checks and balance (Watch Dog) OR to curry favours from MDAs (Hunting Dog)?
Recall the case of the senate health committee members in 2008 who collected duty tour allowances from the ministry of health to travel to Ghana but neither went on the trip nor refund the cash. There was also the case of house of representative member Hon Herman Hembe who was exposed by the then DG SEC Arunma Oteh for collecting cash from SEC to go on a conference in the U.S and later changing his mind about going to any conferences and not refunding the cash to SEC.
According to figures released by the Nigerian bureau of statistics (NBS) at the end of 2012, Sokoto state has the highest poverty rate at 81.2%. The poverty levels in many other states in Nigeria is equally very high and rising which to say the least is scary and calls for prudent management of our resources. The N10 billion spent to buy the 469 luxury cars for our senators and representatives could build 30 standard primary schools- 5 in each of the 6 geo-political zones. That’s the way we should be thinking!
The way forward now is for our senators to heed to the clarion call of the good people of Nigeria that the luxury cars should be returned for a full refund which should be lodged with the EFCC en route to the federation account. The EFCC should keep a record of each senator’s name against the number of cars he/she collected and clear his/her name upon full refund received in respect of the cars. It is hard to believe that our democracy will survive if this brand of corruption is not stopped. |