Xmas: Cash-strapped Reps stay back in Abuja

Some members of the House of Representatives have stayed back in Abuja despite the Christmas and New Year break in a bid to avoid going to their constituencies.

Findings by The PUNCH on Wednesday showed that lack of cash was a major cause of the decision of the lawmakers to stay back in Abuja.

Investigations showed that the members “spent heavily” on the recently-concluded primaries of their various political parties and were reportedly cash-trapped.

Some members allegedly budgeted close to N50m for the primaries, while those seeking either a governorship or senatorial seat spent close to N100m and above.

The lawmakers were said to have expressed the fear that going to their constituencies to meet constituents during this festive period would put more financial burden on them.

“There is no money my brother. Some of us are yet to recover financially after the primaries.

“This is a festive season, coming soon after the primaries; you will appreciate the fact that people back home will pile additional financial pressures on us,” one member confided in our correspondent on Wednesday.

It was learnt that some lawmakers simply opted to send “whatever” they could afford to their constituents through third parties, while they stayed back in Abuja.

“See, we have elections coming up in February; that will cost money too.

“It is perhaps a better idea to go home in January close to the elections and prepare with the resources at our disposal,” another member told The PUNCH.

A good number of the lawmakers were sighted at the National Assembly on Wednesday, barely 24 hours to Thursday’s (today) public holiday for the Christmas.

The House had long proceeded on the Christmas and New Year break since December 17.

The House Deputy Majority Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor, confirmed that a cash crunch had hit members, but he clarified that it was a general problem affecting the entire country.

“It is the whole nation that has no money, not only Reps or National Assembly members.

“Everywhere you go, people are complaining that there is no money.

“This is not about National Assembly members alone,” he stated.

Ogor blamed the situation on the crash in crude oil prices, saying that the development had affected the flow of funds in the country.

He added, “The drop in oil prices is beginning to bite hard on all of us.

“There is a lesson in it and that lesson is that it doesn’t pay for any economy to depend on only one source of revenue, in this case, oil. We have a monolithic economy; it is high time we started diversifying the economy. We must act fast.”

Ogor also claimed that the situation was compounded because members had not received their third quarter allocation.

“We have not seen it (allocation),” he added.

Each House member collects between N27.9m and N30m as official allocation every quarter.

This is aside a monthly official salary of between N900,000 and N1m.