Paul Ibe, a media aide to the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has taken a swipe at the Senate President over the comments and controversies on the salaries and allowances of senators.
In a statement released on Wednesday, August 14, Ibe commended Senator Sumaila Kawu over his interview with the BBC on his monthly take-home – pegged at N21 million and with a wide difference from what the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMFAC) had revealed.
According to Ibe, Kawu’s interview vindicated former President Olusegun Obasanjo on his accusation that it was immorally wrong of the Senator Godswill Akpabio-led NASS to fix salaries and allowances of lawmakers in contravention of the laws of Nigeria.
Ibe said, “The position of Senator Sumaila (I do hope that the chopping Senator Akpabio will not suspend him like Ningi or strip him of his position like Ndume) not only confirms what Obasanjo said, it also puts a lie to the official response of the Senate that it does not fix its own salaries and allowances.
“In an institution populated with lackeys with no balls to hold the reckless executive to account, Sen. Sumaila’s courageous act is worthy of commendation.”
He also noted that it is ironic that the National Assembly saddled with the task of making laws for the good governance of Nigeria, is the one that is breaking the law and undermining RMFAC.
He said, “It is the responsibility of the RMFAC to man up and implement the law as it relates to fixing the salaries and allowances of public officials.
“Akpabio and his “chop(ping))” gang can now see why the hungry and justifiably angry Nigerians took to the streets for 10 days on the #EndBackGovernanceProtest to #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria.
“And for the Dele Alakes of this world, who has stepped up the propaganda machinery of the President Bola Tinubu administration, the “Movement” he alluded to were not focused on forcing a change of government, but to sack the hunger in their stomachs caused by the trial-and-error policies of this administration,” he added.
