TheCable

Senator Magnus Abe of the Rivers South East Constituency wants Nigerians to direct their misgivings over senators’ huge allowances  to ministers.

According to Abe, who was who speaking in Port Harcourt at a Conference on Democracy and Good Governance, ministers have easier access to the nation’s treasury than members of the Upper Chamber.

Reacting to observations on corruption in the country’s public offices, Abe absolved the Senate of any blame, saying the fight against corruption can only be won by electing the right set of people into government.

“I have listened to different comments about the allowances of senators; and apart from Senator Mammora [an ex-senator], I think I am the only one here from the Senate,” he said.

“No senator in Nigeria earns N5 million as salary. While people choose to be silent over ministers who are servants of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, they easily attack the senators.

“Ministers fly jets across the country. Any city that a minister visits, there are a convoy of about 10 vehicles waiting to receive him. Yet people ordinarily prefer to attack senators than ministers.”

On the country’s terrorism challenge, he said the weaknesses of the government and security agents in enforcing the law have  been exposed.

“It is the responsibility of all of us to make security our business, but it is the primary responsibility of the government and security agencies to enforce the law,” he said.

“If our laws are enforced evenly across board, I don’t think that the issue of security will have grown into the monster that it is now in this country.”

Renowned economist and management expert, Professor Pat Utomi, who was a guest speaker, said democracy remains the best option of governance for the country.

“The expectations of Nigerians about democracy was so high in 1999, but [they are] so low today that the legitimacy of democracy is being questioned,” he said.

“You cannot have a democracy when most of the people are poor. Someone once referred to Nigeria as a structure for elites to exchange privileges.

“This has been very damaging of our democracy. Rebuilding Nigeria’s democracy for Nigerians to benefit the dividends of democracy must happen if the government must win back the trust of Nigerians.”