Protesters lockdown National Assembly

Some protesters have stormed the National Assembly to demand an end to the “illegal” allowances termed as “running cost” received by lawmakers.

There are reports that the protesters under the auspices of Citizen Action to Take Back Nigeria (TBN) have been camping out at the national assembly for two days running.

The group which faulted the huge allowances allocated to lawmakers complained that while the federal lawmakers were collecting huge allowances in the name of “running costs”, children were dying of hunger in the north east due to the brewing humanitarian crisis.

Spokesperson for the group, Ibrahim Garba, called on senators to stop stealing through the running cost.

He said: “We are suffering because we are cowards in our own country. We are here to take back the national assembly. That is why we are here. We are not for the fun of it but because we are representing Nigerians.

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“When you try to manipulate the budget… you put N7.2 billion in your constituency then say its lobby. What kind of lobby is that?

He described as frustrating a scenario where students have no classes, teachers don’t have any teaching aides but senators are being paid their allowances.

He said the convoy alone of the federal lawmakers can build factories.

The group called on the EFCC, ICPC and the police to arrest the lawmakers, insisting that the plight of the citizens should be considered.

Meanwhile, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has pleaded with Hon Abdulmumin Jibrin to reveal more dirty deals and scandals in the National Assembly if he had any.

Commending Jibrin, SERAP called the lawmaker a whistleblower, “because of his public interest disclosures on alleged budget padding and fraud in the House of Representatives in the context of his work in the House as a member.”

Jibrin had spilled a lot of corrupt acts allegedly carried out by principal officers of the House of Representatives. He was however suspended recently but has remained resolute threatening to make more revelations.