CAN BUHARI END THE KADUNA GENOCIDE? By Emmanuel Onwubiko

The Kaduna State governor Mr. Nassir ElRuffai is a maverick, no doubt, but he has one of the closest friendship of recent with the man on the top now in the seat of power in the Federal Capital of Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari.

In some political circles the name of the dimunitive politician has severally been mentioned as one of the possible successors to the current President in 2019 should he be allowed by the centripetal and centrifugal forces pulling apart his political platform  (APC) to anoint his successor going by emerging evidence that age is no longer on the side of the serving President who himself recently made an open confession that old age wouldn't let him achieve many revolutionary changes in the body polity.

Well, analysis of who is suitably qualified to succeed the current President in 2019 may be too early in the day but if this peculiarly eccentric politician who presides over as governor of Kaduna State wants to stand any fighting chance of winning the hearts and minds of well meaning Nigerians for higher political calling in the foreseeable future then he has to buckle up his sleeves and truly hit the ground running by pragmatically finding a solution to the spate of genocidal killings going on in his backyard in Southern Kaduna. Let this media savvy politician stop his dramatic early or late hour visits to General hospitals in Kaduna seeking to catch unawares the many lazy government employed medical workers but he has to do first thing first.

The first thing is not this media generated populist agenda of stopping the payment to a segment of the populace for the Islamic fasting seasonal feedings which in itself is illegal but he has to save the lives of the ordinary villagers in the Christian dominated Southern Kaduna if he is to be free of accusations of having the knowledge of the plots by some forces both within and without Southern Kaduna to decimate the population of Southern Kaduna indigenous tribes people.  

The immediate past Governor by now should have been dragged to the International Criminal Court in The Hague Netherlands for prosecution for his persistent failure to do the needful to stop the mass killings of women, children and the aged by armed freelance fighters thought to be Fulani Herdsmen.  That the leadership and elite of Southern Kaduna including the leadership of their organised civil society are yet to take concrete and verifiable action to institute a charge of crime against humanity against the last governor Mr. Yero is a shock to every right thinking observer that have followed the ugly development that evolved in the entire four year tenure of that Zaria born Accountant thought to have been imposed on Kaduna people by his boss and erstwhile Vice President Mr. Namadi Sambo.  So the current governor must learn from the mistakes of the last occupant of that seat and take every citizen of Kaduna irrespective of tribes or creed as his primary constituents.  That he has set up a probe to be led by a former Military General Mr. Agwai is cosmetic. Let him go further than that and round up the sponsors of these spate of killings who may have been identified by previous probe panels since that state is always known for fratricidal warfare between the diverse ethnic and religious components either over lands rights or just mere mischief over their cosmetic religious and ethno -cultural differences. 

Impunity is one factor that motivates these current killers who have for long stockpiled weapons to carry out the so called revenge over perceived opponents who they have nursed longstanding grievances for fundamentally working strenuously to gain their unique traditional rulership far away from the overbearing dominance of other customary and traditional stools that have no identical cultural and religious affiliations.

Few years back it was thought then that the decision of then governor Ahmed Maikarfi to create autonomous Chieftdoms for Southern Kaduna indigenous people to  somehow symbolically free them from consistently viewed as persons under the Zaria powerful oligarchs. But years down the line the indigenous tribal people and the so called settlers especially those of the Hausa/Fulani affiliations have continued intermittently to an extent that at a time when the crazy leader of Boko Haram Abubakar Shekau had the global press at his beck and call he even threatened to unleash his killers on Southern Kaduna indigenous Christian communities to pay back for what he perceived as previous genocides against the Hausa/Fulani. 

So the  killings going on in Southern Kaduna is skin deep and one way of stopping it is to fundamentally round up the known sponsors who as I have stated earlier  may have actually been pointed out by previous investigations whose findings were never implemented. A stroll around the streets of Kafanchan and another around Zaria and Kaduna and with thoroughbred investigative skills it won't be difficult to fish out the real masterminds of these genocidal killings of all colouration. What us lacking even now in the seats of power at the state and Federal levels is the desired political will and will power to do the needful rather than embark on shadow chasing and cosmetic committee set ups that would end up not really doing much. Genuine reconciliation is needed but justice for victims and judicial sanctions for the suspected killers must be present evidently before any contemplation of a permanent panacea to this annoying mass killings.

 All the mass murderers from which ever affiliations must be arrested and prosecuted and if the state government continues to dance around setting up committees after committees then these brutes from both sides will up their game and we will remain in one particular bloody spot and continue to grieve whenever the gangsters unleashes their blood cuddling violence. Let Nassir ElRuffai meet President Buhari (his new political soul mate) so a permanent solution is found or he be prepared to also be dragged to the international Criminal Court for crimes against humanity because as the Chief Security officer of Kaduna State you are constitutionally obliged to protect the lives and property of the citizenry within your area of political jurisdiction. The immediate past Governor Ramalan Yero would be sleeping only in a precarious corner of his bed with one of his eyes wide open because if my sixth sense isn't deceiving me then he may sooner rather than later be required to surrender to international prosecutors in the ICC to say what he knows about the spate of genocides that happened under his political watch from 2011 to 2015. The apparent nonchalant attitudes of both the Federal and Kaduna State POLITICAL administrations to tackle the Southern Kaduna genocide squarely is disturbing to a lot of people not less the Senator representing that embattled constituency. 

Senator Danjuma La’ah, representing Southern Kaduna Senatorial Zone, said it all when he recently decried what he described as lack of action by the federal and Kaduna State governments over the murder of 13 natives of the area by gunmen in three villages earlier this month.

Addressing newsmen in Kafanchan, Senator La’ah said he wanted the security challenges facing the people of Southern Kaduna to be given equal attention as that of North East region of the country.

Hear him: “The manner in which our people are being killed with impunity still resembles the same fashion of mindless murder of our people under the former government. This is giving me much concern and I want to call the attention of the world to this wickedness that has always been going on without any seeming solution".

The parliamentarian continued further: “Last Tuesday, June 16, 2015, around 8pm, the peaceful and law-abiding village of Kastak, in Takad Chiefdom, Jema’a Local Government Area, LGA of Kaduna was invaded by well armed men. According to distress calls I received and the reports of my aides shortly after the invasion, nine people were killed, and 13 others critically injured".

“On June 5, 2015, Ayagan village in Bajju Chiefdom in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State, was invaded by armed men. Four people were killed and several others injured when the invaders fired into a crowd of mourners, unprovoked. I have gone there and personally verified this killings".

“On June 11, 2015, one Tanko Nyam,45, from Kyari Daddu village in Jaba, LGA was ambushed by yet another set of gunmen and killed, leaving behind his wife and five kids".

“As a responsible Senator, I cannot sit and claim that it will soon be well when no authority has shown any interest in the insecurity that has bedevilled our people since 2011.

“In the light of the above, I am asking for the following: That the Federal Government should make Southern Kaduna one of the areas needing urgent and immediate security response just like it is doing in parts of North East zone,” the senator said.

I sincerely think the President must make it a priority to stop these genocidal killings now. As government at the center settles down there is the need for concerted effort to be made to check the proliferation of illicit weapons by securing our international borders especially those porous areas bordering Nigeria with Chad, Niger and Cameroon.  In the interim let the Nigerian State give licences for mentally sound and law respecting adults facing attacks all over to carry arms to defend themselves since the right to life is sacred and the moment someone dies then any remedial process may no longer involve him directly. As the American rap singers would say and I dare state that I agree that "it is more honouring to die fighting than wait and be slaughtered like Christmas goats". A stitch in time saves nine. Buhari can indeed end the vicious circles of genocides going on multiple fronts in different parts of Nigeria.  He is after all a tested and trusted General.

*Emmanuel Onwubiko is Head of Human rights Writers association of Nigeria and blogs @www.huriwa.blogspot.com, www.rightsassociationngr.com, www.huriwa.org

23/6/2015

AS OBAMA'S JOB BECOMES ATTRACTIVE By Emmanuel Onwubiko

Mrs. Hilary Clinton is particularly not an adorable and personable individual in a lot of people's perception in the Southern segment of Nigeria because of the role she failed to play as Secretary of State then under the first tenure of President Barack Obama's administration in the United States of America. 

She it was who got the US president convinced that Boko Haram shouldn't be declared a terrorists group and classified as such by Executive exercise of Presidential might. If Boko Haram was viewed much earlier as a terrorists organization and confronted with the American might may be by now their capacity for waging a spate of campaign of mass killings and genocide would have abated. Mrs.  Clinton did badly too as far as Libya was concerned because it was when she held office as Secretary of state that Libya was distabilised  and the Libyan revolutionary leader Colonel Muamar Ghadaffi was gruesomely killed by local rebels armed by the West including USA and UK. 

Ever since Ghadaffi was murdered and Libya captured by a range of freelance armed Islamists that nation that was like the Japan of Africa under Colonel Ghadaffi's benevolent dictatorship,  has collapsed and indeed has turned into a failed state to such an extent that remnants of the Islamic State murderous terrorists have seized swathes of territories. ISIS has also captured a major part of Libya and are currently engaged in armed kidnappings and wanton killings. 

Hillary Clinton has nevertheless continued to dream very big for herself in terms of her unrelenting quest to run for the highest office in the United States of America as if to say that she is united in mind with her husband who ironically was America ''s  two -terms President,  to set up a political dynasty. 

Mrs. Clinton has started her campaign to run for the office of US president under the  banner of Democratic Party even as her husband the erstwhile US President Mr. Bill Clinton has offered her an unqualified support and consistent loyalty. Will Mrs. Hillary Clinton achieve her American dream and become the first ever female President of the World's strongest democracy? 

Another famous political family known as the George Bush family also has an aspirant for the highest political office in USA and indeed the former governor of Florid (1999-2007). Mr Jeb Bush who is running for the primary election of the Republican party to contest to replace President Obama who would roundup his two terms of office next year will make history should he win because he would become the third person from the famous Bush political dynasty to become President. This feat if achieved would become unprecedented.

In all over three dozen Americans are warming up to run for the office of US President to succeed Obama in what is seen as the most competitive contest in many years. Indeed the job of the US President has suddenly become attractive even when it is the most burdensome political task of all times. It is a notorious fact that no one has ever served as President of the United States of America without becoming unusually stressed up emotionally and experienced tumultuous change of physical outlooks.

To comprehend how interesting the race to succeed President Obama has assumed one only needs to note that even the most powerful religious icons of our time and the Holy Father Pope Francis has become a factor in determining who wins the ticket of each of those two major or mainstream political platforms in the United State of America -Republican and Democrats.  

The Pope will visit USA in September but already all the leading contestants for the Presidential tickets in America are already lining up behind President Obama to be accommodated in the itinerary of the Holy Father's Papal visit to the World's most powerful nation in September 2015.  

But how does selecting an American President happen? This and many other issues were what I have set out to analyse in this piece by consulting extensively with political authorities who are in the know about the MAKING OF THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT. 

 From diverse knowledge sources, we learnt that the decentralized nature of American party systems readily becomes apparent and significant regarding the issue of   how Presidential hopeful must campaign for their’s party’s nomination for president. 

In a presidential election, says experts, the candidates for presidency are listed at top of the ballot, followed by the candidates for other national offices and those for state and local offices.

Our findings show that Presidential elections are held every 4 years on Tuesday after the 1^st Monday of November. 

Who can vote? American citizens ages 18 and older can register to vote.  

Voters must meet the residency requirements of their states, which vary and comply with voter registration deadlines.

Many Americans think that when they cast their ballot they are voting for their chosen candidate. In actuality they are selecting groups of electors in the Electoral College who are the king makers if we choose to call them by those pejorative terms. Many of us in Nigeria do also think that American individual voters are the very people actually voting for the emergence of an American President. 

 In actual fact, the US President is made by the College of Electors. Every state has a number of electors equal to it’s number of congresspersons. In addition, there are 3 electors for the District of Columbia.

 A candidate can therefore win millions of votes but no electoral votes. The “winner takes all” system can produce seemingly uneven results, in the elections of John Quincy Adams (1824) and George Bush (2000), for instance ,the candidates who had the greatest popular vote did not win the greatest electoral college votes, and so lost the presidency.

Atleast 270 electoral votes are required to elect a president. If the majority is not reached, the House of Representatives will elect the president.

The question now is, how do the Americans choose their President from party primaries to real election?

Our research revealed that Caucuses and primaries are ways for general public to take part in nominating presidential elections. This process was never included in the United States Constitution and because the constitution gives no guidance for nominating presidential candidates, Americans continue to tinker with primary processes all the time in compliance with global best practices.

Reforms led to party rules, for choosing candidates and delegates, the Democratic party has established national rules for how candidates are selected. The Republican party allows each state to set it’s own guidelines for candidate selection, other parties, such as the Reform Party, have a less structured candidate selection process, and thus was created over time by the political parties. Some states only hold primary elections, some only caucuses and others use a combination of both. 

Our investigations show that the primary elections are run by state and local governments, while caucuses are private events that are directly run by the political parties themselves. 

Interestingly, a state ‘s primary election or caucus usually is an indirect election: instead of voters directly selecting a particular person running for president, it determines how many delegates each party’s natural convention will receive from their respective state. These delegates then in turn select their party’s presidential nominee.

Each party determines how many delegates are allowed for each state. Along with those delegates chosen during primaries and caucuses, state delegations to both the Democratic and Republican are constituted.

 Conventions also include ‘’unpledged delegates’’ usually current and former elected office holders and party leaders, who can vote for whomever they want.

This system of presidential primary and caucuses is somewhat controversial because of it’s staggered nature. The major advantage according to political scholars is that candidates can concentrate their resources in each area of the country one at a time instead of campaigning in every state simultaneously.

 As a result more states have earlier primaries to claim a greater influence in the process, also setting precedence and influencing the election that follow in other states.

Today, state legislators are reportedly said to capitalize on the importance of primaries and jockey for influence by scheduling their state primaries and caucuses as early as possible, forcing presidential candidates to jostle for their support.

Knowledgeable experts affirmed that the perceived need for the reform of the primary process continues today. Many feel that the influence of early primaries disturbs the balance of power exerted by the states upon the nomination of candidates, and thus selection of the president.

 That deceptively simple process is followed by onerous job of amassing a war-chest of campaign funds, then winning the hearts of voters in grueling and costly state races and general election. 

Thus the process of becoming a candidate for Presidential election under the two mainstream parties of Republican and Democrat has become not only physically torturing but has become a big money spending game. A winner of the Presidency of the USA is sworn in on January 20^th, the president enters office in formal ceremony known as the Inauguration usually attended by thousands of citizens and other citizens of the World.

Symbolically,  the President-elect  takes the presidential oath thus: ’’I do solemnly swear(or affirm) that I will faithfully, execute the Office of the President of the United States and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States of America."

Some of the notable names of aspirants for office of US president are; Michael Bennet- Senator for colorado; Mr   Joe Biden the current Vice President of the U. S;   Andrew Cuoma-Gov of New York; Rahm Emmanuel -Mayor of Chicago n fmr white house chief of staff;   AL Franken- US senator from minnesseto; Jack Markell- Gov of Delaware; Claire Mccaskill -Us senator; Janet Napolitano-former United states secretary of homeland; Mark Warner- US senator. 

Other known Presidential hopefuls are;  Elizabeth Warren-US senator;Howard Dean- fmr Gov of Vermont;  Dan Malloy- Gov of connecticut; Brad Winslow-Information manager; Bernie Sander-Juniir Us Senator; Doug Shreffler- CIA & US envoy; Lloyd Kelso - Attorney; Martin O'Malloy-Fmr Gov of Mary land; Robby Wells-fmr football coach; Willie Wilson-Chicago businessman; Micheal Steinberg-Attorney; Lincoln Chaffee- US Senator; Hillary Clinton-fmr US secretary of state and US senator n first lady and Mr.   Jim Webb -Veteran.

*      Emmanuel Onwubiko is Head of Human rights Writers association of Nigeria and blogs @www.huriwa.blogspot.com,www.rightsassociationngr.com, www.huriwa.org.

20/6/2015

*MAKE PEACE NOT WAR-HURIWA TELLS ROCHAS

From the pro-democracy Non-Governmental organization–HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) came a note of caution for the Imo State governor Mr. Rochas Anayochukwu Okorocha to tread softly in his relationship with members of traditional institution so as to maintain communal peace and rapid rural development.

In a statement issued in Owerri and jointly endorsed by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf, the Rights group faulted the decision by the Imo State governor in sanctioning with suspension and reprimand, the traditional rulers for only hosting the immediate past President of Nigeria Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

HURIWA said the action of Imo State governor is a breach of all well known African traditional value system of hospitality and respect which was what those traditional custodians of their respective communities extended to the then President who as at that time was the embodiment of Nigeria’s sovereign powers and therefore deserved the highest levels of respect for both himself and his good offices.

Aside those core issues, the Rights group also upbraided the action of the Imo State governor because it is a breach of the constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and Right to personal liberty which are not just local legal provisions but have universal application.

HURIWA said by their suspension, what the Imo State helmsman has achieved is the tyrannical display of overbearing political might and dictatorship even as the import to every discerning minds is that the governor by not wanting these traditional rulers to accord the then President respect and hospitality during his visit to Imo in March 2015, is also conveying the wrong idea that disobeying and violating these revered African cultural values should become the norm in the thinking of the Imo State governor.

The Rights group has therefore advised governor Rochas not to enforce hasty and hostile politically vindictive decisions that can backfire and create communal tensions and destabilizing the peace of Imo State. The group reminded the governor that the election campaign period is over even as now is the time for real good governance.

“May we humbly refer the Imo State governor to several provisions of Chapter four of the Nigerian Constitution and specifically to section 35 on the Right to personal liberty; Section 40 on right to peaceful assembly and association which in the case of the latter unambiguously guarantees every citizen the right to assemble freely and associate with other persons….”

Imo State Governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha and the traditional ruler of Obi Orodo, Eze Samuel Ohiri, who is also Chairman of the State Council of Traditional Rulers, are presently engaged in a battle of wits reportedly with over 64 traditional rulers for suspending some and trying others for alleged insubordination.

Those purportedly slammed with suspension included four first class traditional rulers who are members of the inner council while 60 others are to face a disciplinary panel, according to news report quoted by HURIWA. 

The suspended traditional rulers were accused of defying the directive of the state government and receiving former President Goodluck Jonathan, on the ground that he was not a traditional ruler, in March when he visited Owerri for a parley with traditional rulers in Imo State ahead of the tensed March 28 presidential election in which the opposition All Progressives Congress of Muhammadu Buhari won and ironically that also is the political platform of Governor Rochas.  The former President was the candidate of the then national ruling party of Peoples Democratic Party( PDP).

The four traditional rulers suspended are Eze (Pharm) Emmanuel Njemanze of Owerri Nchi; Eze Desmond Ogugua of Umuore Obizi in Ezinihitte Mbaise local government; Eze Edmund Njoku of Umuenyi community in Isiala Mbano council area and Eze SundayOkoro of Emii Community in Owerri North council area. The suspension of the revered traditional rulers has considerably sparked off seemingly subdued tensions and mutual suspicions in the state.

17/6/2015

ON THE LAWMAKERS' N9B WARDROBE By Emmanuel Onwubiko

Abuja the political capital of Nigeria is abuzz with intense debates on the very costly and indeed rare Wardrobe of the less than 500 Nigerians elected supposedly to constitute the eight session of the National Assembly which by some official estimates will dig serious holes in the central treasury of Nigeria to the tune of (wait a minute)  N9 Billion.

Each member of the Federal House of Representatives (green chamber) will pocket from the tax payers N17.5 million whereas their bigger boys in the red chamber of the national assembly (Senate) will pocket a princely sum of N21 million each.

This scandalous story reminds me of the debate in the beer parlour by some money -missed- roads over the topic of whose mercedes is bigger than the other. With the abundance of  facts that  emerged on Monday that members of the Senate and House of Representatives may receive nothing less than N9 billion as wardrobe allowance next week, it has become clearer that the wardrobe of less than 500 Nigerians is costlier than those of the over 90 million absolutely impoverished Nigerians put together. 

Pray! why should our hard earned federally generated financial resources be blown away in the winds of frivolity to purchase articles of clothing for this extremely privileged class who only few weeks back were on their kneels begging poor villagers for their votes so as to come to Abuja and sit as legislators to legislate for the rest of the society? It's surely only in a prodigal nation like Nigeria that a certain political class would be so much pampered and spoilt with official pecks and the other paraphernalia that bleeds the commonwealth of all Nigerians to a near death. 

Only in a Banana Republic like Nigeria where survival is for and by the brutes that such official perfidy is tolerated by the rest of the starving millions of citizens. You may be muttering some funny words to yourself apparently asking to know what I had expected the rest of the hungry Nigerian populations should do and permit me to tell you that it's because we the common people of Nigeria have failed to exercise the power of our common sense to loudly reject these atrocious official indiscretions of this extremely few elitist class that they have perdured in their infamy and vicious crime of unpardonable rape of the National wealth of Nigeria. 

The amount is paid once in four years and these cabal that rape Nigeria of these huge sums will simply quaff cups of tea and eat meat pies relentlessly with their retinue of mistresses  and serve out their tenure without meaningfully and constructively legislating on concrete issues that would make good governance and national sense of discipline as parts of our national life. Four years back these same law makers collected these huge sums and additionally cashed over N4 billion to enable them amend the Nigerian Constitution but blew away the humongous amounts without practically achieving the objective for which the big budget was released to them. 

We must weep for Nigeria for facing incessant rape of her dignity by a negligible percentage that constitute the political class and after wiping out the tears of sorrow we must put on the garment of courage and patriotic flavour and demand accountability from the elected politicians. Our docility and silence won't take us far and our collective hysteria and hypocrisy gloating in the make belief that we are God fearing won't take us far. Already one of the beneficiaries of this sinful wardrobe allowance in the person of the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives Yakubu Dogari from Bauchi State in the North East of Nigeria has again started playing the so called 'God factor' by sensationally making empty and false claims that God made him Speaker as if God was involved in the shenanigans and bribery that allegedly passed under the legislative bridge in Abuja that pushed his victory through. Can we also conclude with Yakubu DOGARA that God has richly endowed him and his Co travellers with these N9 billion worth of Wardrobes ? 

It is a moral sin that while 50 percent of Nigerians as I write have no means of sustaining themselves in the now fashionable poverty induced feeding formula of 0-1-0 (zero, one and zero) meaning only a square meal per day,  each member of the House of Representatives will receive N17.5 million as wardrobe allowance, senators will pocket N21.5 million for the same purpose. It's indeed much worst than mere moral sin because it's fatally irresponsible and irrational that less than one percent of the populace live in absolute opulence whilst the rest of us survive from hands -to -mouths.

Reports even disclosed that aside these obscene allowances  allocated to  each federal lawmaker, this privileged class will‎ receive as furniture allowance, housing allowance and official vehicle,  each of the senators would be paid N4,052,800 milliona housing allowance. These are persons who live in big houses but would still be paid housing allowances.  Any wonder our nation is bleeding financially to death? Mind you virtually 45 percent of Nigerians are homeless even as destitution has become a way of life for most youthful Nigerians facing mass poverty and excruciating unemployment. 

To make matters worst journalists covering the National Assembly said these legislators will be paid the same amount every year because the housing allowance is on annual basis.

This means that the 107 senators who are entitled to it will be paid N433,649,600 million as housing allowance annually.

As gathered by the reporters, the Senate President and the Deputy Senate President are not entitled to this allowance because their own accommodation is to be provided by the Federal Government.

Similarly, each member of the House of Representatives will be paid N3,970,425 million as housing allowance on assumption of office.

This means that the 358 representatives will be collecting a total of N1,421,412,150 as housing allowance.

Again, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives are excluded from this allowance as the Federal Government is to provide their own accommodation, according to news report which most local tabloids carried.

As was widely known the Federal government had sold public housing assets to legislators and  the principal officers of the National Assembly also benefited from the sale of the houses. As a result, it was learnt that the Federal Capital Territory Administration is at present building new houses for the Senate President, the Deputy Senate President, the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker.  Mind you the erdwhile Deputy senate is back on his seat and so if he gets another house that will make him a proud occupier of two mansions at our collective expenses. This outrageous  anomalies can only happen in a dysfunctional society like ours and the people simple walk around looking for daily bread and their sensibilities continuously abused by their religious leaders who hypnotise them into believing that leaders come from God even when it's clear that most of these public office occupants stole the mandate of the people through a cocktail of bribery and coercion and are behaving like locusts out to decimate the commonwealth of Nigeria. 

For furniture, each of the senators is to get N6,079,200 million. Tell me if this does not rankle and worry your conscience what else will?

The furniture for both the Senate President and his deputy are to be fully provided by the government, so the report goes just as this means that the 107 senators will get a total of N650,474,400 million as furniture allowance. Furniture allowance is paid once in four years.

Each member of the House of Representatives will be paid N5,955,637.50 as furniture allowance. This means that 358 representatives, excluding the speaker and his deputy, will collect a total of N2,132,118,225 billion as furniture allowance.

For vehicle, each of the senators is entitled to N8,105,600 million, while each representative is entitled to N7,940,850.50 million.

This means that 107 senators will collect N867,299,200 million for vehicle, while 358 representatives will collect N2,842,824,479 billion for the same purpose. Speaker DOGARA has hurriedly set up what he called welfare committee to oversee the sharing of this national cake to this privileged class of Nigerians in a nation facing scarcity of cash to fix our dilapidated infrastructures. 

We must resolutely challenge these financial infractions and checkmate these financial rapists before they liquidate Nigeria. 

*Emmanuel Onwubiko is Head of Human rights Writers association of Nigeria and blogs @www.huriwa.blogspot.com, www.rightsassociationngr.com, www.huriwa.org.