Chief Mike A. A. Ozekhome, SAN,
LL.d, D.Litt, DA, HonDL, Ph.D (HC), LL.M, LL.B (HONS),
BL, KSM, F.AES, FNIM, F.ICA., F.chMC, FNIER, LFIBA
Constitutional lawyer and human rights activist
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DELEGATE TO THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Whilst commending my good friends, Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, and pastor Tunde Bakare, for rejecting their own monthly take home of the alleged N12m allowance at the National Conference, my own approach will be quite different. I will collect the money and distribute it to the less privileged and needy members of the society, the holoi-poloi, the vast majority of the “Frantz Fanon’s of the wretched of the earth” that populate the nooks and cranies of Nigeria.
HOW MUCH IS THE ALLOWANCE REALLY?
It has so far been touted in the media that a ‘whopping” N4million per month amounting to N12Milllion for the 3 months duration of the National Conference, will be paid to each delegate across board. From the alert from my bank, this is entirely untrue. The sum of N1, 460, 000 was paid in, representing two weeks allowance. Calculated prorarata, this amounts to N2, 920, 000 per month.
If we take this as net and assume that 10% was deducted for VAT and TAX, this will still bring the gross monthly take home to be N3, 212, 000. If the deduction for Tax and VAT constitutes 5% of the gross, then the monthly net take home is N3, 066, 000. Either way, the take home per delegate is more like N3million, and not the exaggerated N4million.
RATIONALE FOR TAKING THE MONEY AND DISTRIBUTING IT TO THE
NEEDY AND LESS PRIVILEGED
For I will not agree to further enrich the Federal Government of Nigeria by returning my Conference allowance. For one thing, the money has already been appropriated and released from government Coffers. The skewed Nigerian system where corruption is very rife suggests that the money can develop “wings” and fall into wrong hands within Government Bureaucracy by simply “flying” away. I will not have the means of knowing if it is really returned to the Federation account.
For another, the less privileged members of the society can be empowered with the allowance, through scholarship and bursary awards, capacity building, skills acquisition, empowerment programmes, such as grants to local women for farming and petty trading, purchase of motorcycles and tricycles for the youth, donations of sewing machines, milling machines and hair dryers for peasant women in the rural areas, donations of medical, food, and clothing items to orphanages, leprosorum, old women and men’s homes, and the teaming beggars on our streets across Nigeria. This makes more sense to me. I have done this annually since 1990, under the platform of Mike Ozekhome Foundation (MOF), the latest being on the 23rd December, 2013. The entire Edo North people can readily testify to this initiative which has wiped off tears from thousands of peasants since 1990. I will now redouble these efforts with this conference allowance.
IS THE N3 MIILLION TOO MUCH OR SHOULD IT BE PAID AT ALL TO DELEGATES?
My take on this is that all fingers are not equal. There are, at the conference, some old impecunious pensioners, who though credible and respected, are however not financially and economically grounded. There are the handicapped and physically challenged, the unemployed youth, some poor market women, and other disadvantaged minority groups attending the conference as credible delegates representing their platforms.
I believe however that the N3million paid to each delegate is not too much considering the high cost of living in Abuja, the prohibitive air fares, the dangers inherent in delegates transporting themselves with extra security from rural areas to urban centres where they can take flights, the exorbitant cost of hotel accommodation in Abuja, and the fact that conferees will converge in Abuja for three months, abandon their various businesses and means of livelihood, to discuss how to retool Nigeria. For such categories of persons enumerated above, the allowance will be well earned.
I am not too sure however that I can say the same thing for very high-healed delegates at the conference, such as retired, but wealthy Civil Servants, former Governors, former Ministers, retired top Military and Diplomatic Corps brass, Captains of Industries, business gurus, first class entrepreneurs and professionals and highly respected traditional rulers and Elder Statesmen, many of whom are not only very wealthy, but also have their state Governments providing full accommodation and free feeding for them. Some people in these classes should join us in their donating allowances to the poor.
