National Assembly Set Constitution Aside, Fixed High Salary For Themselves – Obasanjo Blasts Lawmakers

Former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday accused the National Assembly of putting the constitution aside when it didn’t suit their personal interests.

Particularly, Obasanjo alleged that the lawmakers didn’t receive salary based on the recommendations of the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission as it should be based on the country’s constitution.

The former Nigerian leader accused the lawmakers of undermining the country’s democracy by their actions.

He made the submission in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, during a lecture titled, ‘The future of constitutional democracy in Nigeria: Imperative of a new constitutional order.’

The event was part of activities marking the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the call to bar of legal luminary, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN).

Obasanjo said, “The point in Nigeria which I have seen and which I can attest to is most of the people who are supposed to be operationalizing or managing and seeing the constitution and democracy move forward, they are actually the ones who undermine the constitution.

“All elected people, by our constitution, their emolument is supposed to be fixed by the revenue mobilization commission, but our lawmakers set that aside and they make laws and put any emolument for themselves.

“Even if that is constitutional, it is not moral and, of course, it is neither constitutional nor moral.”

He warned against a situation where the constitution is “continually breached like that.”

The former President said citizens were meant to enjoy democracy, but that could only be possible if the players respected and implemented the constitution to the letter.

He said, “Democracy doesn’t mean anything to any man who is hungry, whose life is in danger, or whose property is being destroyed.”