Monday 19 August 2019

Why Senate Needs A Publicist (1)


                                             Nigerian Senate                                                
The need for the Senate to hire a publicist to inform Nigerians adequately about the performances of the red chamber is long overdue. This is so because there is no doubt that the National Assembly especially the upper chamber-the Senate has a negative image among the masses of Nigeria. This is because of the fact that the Senate is perceived as a retirement home for former and lackluster governors and ministers. The Senate is also considered as a cesspool of corruption due largely to the mouthwatering salary, fridge benefits and constituency allowances accruing to senators every now and then. The revelation by Senator Shehu Sani that each Senator received as much as N13.5m monthly has worsen the already dented perception of the Senate. The sum of N13.5m monthly for an individual because he or she is a senator is humongous when compared with the N18,000 monthly stipend paid as minimum wage to each Nigerian worker.

But is it a statement of fact the legislature at the federal level receives the highest salary, allowance and other fringe benefits in the country? Is N13.5m the highest sum of money every elected politician or government appointee receives monthly as salary in the country? To say the legislature receives the highest salary in the country is debatable. There are some questions probing the minds of certain discerning Nigerians. First, is it really true that members of the National Assembly earn the highest salary and allowances in the country? Second, are the salary and allowances of the legislators in the National Assembly more than those of the President, Vice President, ministers, group managing director and chief operating officers of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation? Do the legislators earn more than chairmen of boards of commissions and agencies? Do they earn more money than the Head of Service of the Federation, Secretary to Government of Federation, Comptroller-Generals of Nigerian Customs Service, Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Director-Generals of Nigerian Maritime and Safety Administration, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, National Food Drug Administration and Control and other commissions and agencies?
It is however disturbing because while Nigerians are daily demonizing the legislators over their perceived mammoth salary and allowances, the same Nigerians are silent over the emoluments of the leadership of ministries, departments, agencies and commissions enumerated above. Why are Nigerians not eager to know the emoluments of the commissions and agencies of government mentioned above? Why are Nigerians not interested in knowing the total monthly package of the group managing director of the NNPC? Why are they not asking how much the four group managing directors of the four refineries earn? Why are they not anxious to know the total take home of the comptroller-general of Customs, the DGs of NIMASA, NAFDAC, NDLEA etc? Again, while the other two organs of government-Executive and Judiciary keep their monthly emoluments as top secret, the members of the National Assembly, for the sake of transparency, have made their monthly emoluments known to all Nigerians-the Executive and Judiciary have refused to disclose theirs. Why? These are questions eagerly begging for answers that nobody is ready to provide answers. How many Nigerians know the salary and allowances of their President or Vice President? How many Nigerians know the salary and allowances of their governors, commissioners, ministers, DGs of NSCDC, NAFDAC etc just to a few? 
Additionally, many Nigerians consider the legislators as lazy folks because they don’t tell them the volume of bills they have passed and submitted to the President for his assent. Until the end of the 8th Assembly, Nigerians didn’t know that the legislators passed 201 bills which they submitted to the President to give his assent. But it was revealed that of the 201 bills submitted to Mr. President, he rejected 40 of them!
One may be tempted to ask the purpose of this write up. It is to emphasize the urgent need for the Senate to hire a publicist. It is true that the Senate has its own spokesperson but the work of a publicist is not one that can be combined with legislative duties. The reason is because the work of a publicist is enormous, tedious and time consuming-it entails in-depth and elaborate researches. It needs a full time, dedicated and competent media professional to handle. To position the Senate on the minds of Nigerians positively, there should be a neutral person who is not an elected lawmaker to handle.
The duties of the publicist in the Senate among other duties, if one is hired, will be to inform Nigerians whenever a bill is passed and submitted to the President for his assent. Second, he will alert Nigerians whenever the President assents or declines his assent to any bill that is submitted to him. 

Victor Anya, a Public Affairs Analyst and Publicist.


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