The former president Obasanjo spoke about the house of representatives, making decisions on how much their salaries should be. He was immediately countered by Mr Phillip Agbese, the deputy spokesman of the house of representatives. He emphasised that the president is partly right and partly wrong.
He said the house of representatives now in Tinubu’s government are very different from that of his time; they are working hand in hand with the president to establish a better Nigeria. He claimed that the former president is using the past to judge the future.
Obasanjo had said: “You are not supposed to fix your salaries or allowances; it is supposed to be done by the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Responsibility Commission. “With all due respect, you know it’s not right; it is not right for me to be the one to determine what I pay myself; it is immoral, and you are doing it; the Senate is doing it.”
According to him, he saidt, ‘’we have striven to maintain the highest level of accountability and transparency in all that we do under Speaker Tajudeen Abass.
“I am bold to say that the very respected former President is right and wrong because of the things that transpired between him and the National Assembly during his time as president.
“Stories abound that he was helpless. This is no longer the case, as quite a lot has been done by the current crop of representatives to deliver to the poor masses.”
He said the current speaker of the house of Representatives is one leader that cares for the well being of the people.
He said, “we mean what we say and everything that we do as a parliament. The era of narrow interest is over. We are here for our people and their collective interests.’’
He said Tinubu’s tenure ois one that is very different from that of the previous president and it promises better.
“We know what Tinubu wants for Nigeria, and supporting the President to deliver on the Renewed Hope Agenda is the best for the country,’’ he said.
Mr. Philip said the current speaker is very much accountable to the people.
He said: “Abbas has earned the respect of members not just because he is a kind and God-fearing man, but because he strives daily for excellence.
“Obasanjo tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to bribe members of the National Assembly in his time to support positions that were not in line with the constitution.
“That informed his decision to amend the constitution through the backdoor, which was rejected by the majority,’’ he recalled.
“They are not happy that Abbas is not like Ghali Na’Abba, and the President is making progress to salvage the situation,’’ he noted.
Discover more from Infodorm
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.