The persistent agitation against the secrecy of the salaries and allowances of members of the National Assembly has in recent times been of great concern to both the leadership and management of the lawmaking institution as they have recently decided to make their earnings public.
Africa-Online learnt at the weekend that in line with the seeming principles of accountability and transparency of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the management of the National Assembly has come up with a proposal meant to instill some disciplinary measures into the fiscal affairs of the National Assembly.
Africa-Online was reliably informed that these disciplinary measures being conceived by the leadership of the National Assembly would result in transparent spending of the National Assembly’s financial allocations.
According to a source, when the plan is finally perfected, the earnings of both the legislators and civil servants would no longer be secret but would be made open to the public.
The source further said it was not only members of the public who had been protesting the secrecy of the earnings of the federal lawmakers particularly their allowances but also few lawmakers who have equally been at the vanguard for calls for transparency in their earnings.
“Against the backdrop of persistent outcry by the public and some legislators to disclose their wages, salaries and allowances, efforts in this regard appear to be gaining acceptance by the leadership of the National Assembly.
“Realizing the importance and need in line with the current administration’s drive and focus of President Buhari, the management of the National Assembly is proposing certain fiscal and monetary disciplinary measures to bring about the prudent and transparent approach to the expenditure of legislators and the bureaucrats,” the source said.
According to him, the protracted agitation for financial and budgetary transparency in the National Assembly has been a nightmare to the leadership and hence, the need to address the situation once and for all.
Furthermore, the source said the measures being put in place would address the handling of financial autonomy of the National Assembly vis-a-vis the transparency of money drawn from the first-line charge by members.
In addressing this, Africa-Online learnt that the National Assembly had planned to develop what it called “procurement manual” by amending the current Procurement Act.
This amendment, it was further learnt, would introduce a new clause into the Procurement Act which would not only give the federal legislature the full fledged opportunity to develop their own template for the disbursement of monies drawn from the fine-Iine-charge but also extend the same measure to the judiciary.
The new procurement manual being conceived by the National Assembly, Africa-Online gathered, would be a marked departure from the existing “charts of account” earlier developed by the executive. The chart of account, it was learnt, would not be suitable for the fiscal management being conceived by the National Assembly.
In addition, the National Assembly, in its commitment to the new plan, will transmit the changes in its financial management to both the accountant-general of the federation and auditor-general of the federation to serve as a guide to them in the implementation of the new fiscal arrangement.
