Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Ribadu, Mark clash over National Assembly budget

According to Samuel Johnson "patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel."

The brand of patriotism advocated by mallam Ribadu is for the sole aim
of wresting power. It is cold and calculating. It is patriotism as
political strategy. This is the pseudo patriotism that Samuel Johnson
was referring to and here scoundrels abound.

On 6/2/15, 'Adeshina Afolayan' via USA Africa Dialogue Series
<usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> wrote:
> "Ribadu, who was the PDP's Adamawa State governorship candidate for the
> March 28 election,   pointed out that patriotism and quality contributions
> by members of the PDP in the National Assembly would go a long way in
> reinventing   and preparing the party for a successful comeback in future
> elections."
>
>
> Is anybody reading between the lines here? Two troubling arguments. And for
> the love of me, Mark's argument is actually straightforward--a thief's
> defence of his livelihood. I've got no problem with that. But then Ribadu's?
> The sub-text of his argument: Let's play the patriotism card now because
> we're out of power. Once the stupid Nigerian people perceive that we are
> sufficiently patriotic, then we can worm our ways back into the corridor of
> power.
>
>
> So, patriotism and quality contributions didn't matter when PDP was in power
> for, how many years? But now, they become critical factors to stage a
> comeback? Wow! So now it is imperative that Nigerians must know how much the
> 'honourable' members are earning? So now, it is important to understand the
> mood of the nation so that we can chart a return to power? Transparency is
> now a necessary parameter for public office?
>
>
> And didn't we say Ribadu is a progressive? And of course, patriotism remains
> an elite instrument.
>
>
>
>
> Adeshina Afolayan
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
>
> From:"Kola Fabiyi" <fabiyi@live.com>
> Date:Tue, 2 Jun, 2015 at 11:52 am
> Subject:USA Africa Dialogue Series - Ribadu, Mark clash over National
> Assembly budget
>
> Ribadu, Mark clash over National Assembly budget
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> by admin via New Nigerian Politics
> http://newnigerianpolitics.com/2015/06/01/ribadu-mark-clash-over-national-assembly-budget/
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> A former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,   Nuhu
> Ribadu and   the outgoing Senate President, David Mark, on Monday disagreed
> on the need for National Assembly to cut its budget in line with the current
> economic realities in the country.
>
>
> They spoke at a   retreat organised for the Peoples Democratic Party
> National Assembly members-elect in Port Harcourt, Rivers state.
>
> Ribadu had stirred up a hornet's nest by calling on the lawmakers-elect to
> make their monthly salaries public and also cut their budgets. His call
> immediately attracted side talks by the participants which included
> governors and the leadership of the PDP.
>
>
>
> Obviously aware that his advice was not being welcomed by majority of the
> lawmakers-elect, the former anti-corruption czar, reminded them that they
> would be going   to the National Assembly as the minority.
>
> He said that Nigerians would not support the PDP if they (Nigerians) did not
> know what was earmarked for the National Assembly and how much a senator or
> a House of Representatives member earns.
>
>
> Ribadu, who was the PDP's Adamawa State governorship candidate for the March
> 28 election,   pointed out that patriotism and quality contributions by
> members of the PDP in the National Assembly would go a long way in
> reinventing   and preparing the party for a successful comeback in future
> elections.
>
>
> He said, "If Nigerians do not know how much is earmarked for the National
> Assembly or how much money a senator earns, they will not support you. We
> must understand the pulse or the mood of the nation.
>
>
> "The first step, therefore, is to open up the National Assembly by
> ensuring transparency. Public office is what it is; public. Also, at this
> critical time of austerity, be champions   by slashing your own budget.
>
> "My very good friend, Ben Bruce (a senator-elect) has already spoken about
> this. There are many others   already saying it. For you to excel, you must
> put in extra effort than your colleagues in other parties."
>
>
> He stressed   that the PDP lawmakers-elect must not only be champions of
> probity and discipline, they must wage war against corruption in the system
> and ensure strict compliance with appropriation as well as due process.
>
>
> Ribadu added, "As legislators, you will be going to the National Assembly as
> the minority. There is a   sense of personal loss no doubt; but there are
> good opportunities for all and democratic practice in Nigeria.
>
> "Your patriotism and quality contributions as members of the National
> Assembly will go a long way in reinventing   our party and preparing it for
> a successful comeback in subsequent elections.
>
>
> "You must demonstrate personal will and commitment towards being above board
> if you really want to checkmate others. The first charge for you is to be
> champions of probity in the workings of the National Assembly as well as the
> Legislature-Executive relations."
>
> But Mark, who showed his     dissatisfaction with   Ribadu's charge,
> wondered why "every time, people will talk about National Assembly budget."
>
>
> Explaining that the budget of the Assembly had always   been   in public
> domain, the outgoing President of the Senate argued that Senators and House
> of Representatives members   had always made sacrifices in line with the
> nation's economic realities.
>
> "Every time, people will talk about National Assembly budget; for Heaven's
> sake, unless you would say you have never seen the national budget, it is a
> public document. The National Assembly budget is there with every other
> budget," he stated in an angry tone.
>
>
> Mark,who added that the National Assembly members " were the first to make a
> cut in 2015 budget," said that " people should appreciate what we are doing
> and not to come and give an impression that our budget is bloated while
> every other person had made a cut."
>
> He stated further, "We are trying our best more than any ministry today. I
> can put my hand on my chest without fear of contradiction at all and say we
> made a lot of sacrifices in our budgeting system.
>
>
> "Our budget is open; what we earn as National Assembly members is open. If
> anybody wants to receive his salary and donate it, he is free to do so. He
> does not need to consult us. I think we should not play politics with what
> is a very serious issue. Our budget is in the open and everybody can see
> it."
>
> Mark however charged the PDP lawmakers-elect   and other PDP members to
> always speak in one voice.
>
> He said, "We must subject our individual interest for our group interest. In
> the election of principal officers of National Assembly, we must vote in one
> accord. We must know that united we stand, divided we fall.
>
>
> "We must take our destinies in our hands. We must be ready to provide
> credible, vibrant, determined and focused opposition to the party in power
> in a manner that would guarantee development and good governance.
>
>
> "In doing so, we must maintain a strong synergy between our members in the
> National Assembly and the National Working Committee. The PDP is still a
> brand all Nigerians know. We just need to reinvent the wheels and move
> forward."
>
>
> He decried the spate of defections from the PDP to the All Progressives
> Congress after the elections and appealed to those remaining to be steadfast
> with the ideology of the party.
>
>
> In his keynote address , Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu maintained
> that playing the role of the opposition was not a death sentence, but a soul
> searching for the way out of the predicament.
>
>
> Ekweremadu stated that the PDP stood a great chance of regaining power in
> 2019 should its members   put their house in order.
>
> He added that the governors elected on the platform of the PDP were expected
> to play a major role in restoring the party's fortunes.
>
> Ekweremadu said, "May I also remind you that you have a big role to play in
> restoring the political fortunes of the PDP because PDP governed-states will
> now be the major yardsticks for evaluating our performance in the next four
> years.
>
>
> "I call on you to demonstrate unbeatable and undisputable capacity for good
> governance such as would stand the PDP-governed states out as models in
> uncommon transformation and actualisation of all the blessings and promises
> that democracy holds."
>
>
> Earlier, Governors of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa;
> and other governors, who were elected on the platform of the PDP gave
> various strategies on how the party could   regain power at the centre in
> 2019.
>
>
> -Punch
>
>
>
>
> --
> Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
> To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
> To subscribe to this group, send an email to
> USAAfricaDialogue+subscribe@googlegroups.com
> Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
> Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
> ---
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
> email to usaafricadialogue+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
>

--
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialogue+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.