CBN Governor Sanusi, Senate President David Mark
The Muslim Rights Concern on Sunday condemned members of the National Assembly over an alleged harassment and intimidation of the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Lamido Sanusi, when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Appropriations to defend his claim that lawmakers received 25 per cent of the nation’s recurrent expenditure in the national budget.
The group’s director, Dr. Is-haq Akintola, said in a statement that the questions hauled at Sanusi by members of the Senate were nothing short of tactics in blackmail, coercion and intimidation.
It noted that the development had shown that members of the National Assembly were not interested in the welfare of Nigerians.
The statement stressed that the legislators were busy arrogating to themselves “all the milk and honey in the land” while the people ransacked dustbins for leftovers before they could eat.
“The proletariat is toiling day and night but it is being denied adequate pay for its sweat. Labour’s demand for a survival minimum wage of N18,000 was ignored until a national strike had to be called and until lives were lost over the demand. Yet members of the NASS felt no qualms allocating jumbo pay to themselves.
“Why should any senator ask the CBN governor if he was still interested in his job? It reminds us of the manner the Senate gagged Professor Attahiru Jega, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, when he alerted the nation about delays in the Electoral Act. Senate promptly invited him and he was told, ‘You talk too much.’
“We find this phenomenon quite disturbing. We cannot have a free and fair election if the man at the helm of affairs of the highest electoral body is not free to pass comments. MURIC is therefore asking the question: How independent is the ‘Independent’ National Electoral Commission?
“MURIC rejects the dictatorial proclivities of the NASS. This body is fast eroding the powers of other arms. It has also constituted itself into a threat to free speech, justice and fair play. It is turning the theory of the separation of powers into sheer illusion.
“The National Assembly has not demonstrated any readiness to make sacrifices, rather it has become an Oliver Twist, asking for more and more while the masses are hungry, naked and homeless.” MURIC said.
The group noted that true leaders of the people were expected to make sacrifices which the people could emulate.
SOURCE:www.punchng.com
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