The allocation of N13billion for refreshments, travels and welfare of members of the National Assembly in the 2017 budget has drawn the ire of Civil Society Organisations.
In its reaction to the budget passed into law by the National Assembly last week, two of the CSOs, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), and Campaign for Democracy (CD), called on masses to protest the wastefulness masterminded by the Legislators in a country where many groan under the pains poverty.
The CACOL Chairman, Debo Adeniran, described the allocation as "a graphic example of how to be insensitive to the plight of the citizens." He further accused the Lawmakers of cashing in on the people’s docility, noting that “the National Assembly can reverse itself, because we are still in a recession, and they should empathize with us.”
Adeniran also claimed that the Presidency will be seen as an accomplice if it allows such an outrageous budgetary provision. Similarly, the CD President, Usman Abdul, argued that the country would suffocate, if Nigerians did not call to question budgetary allocations which accommodate "abnormalities" like traditional gifts, entertainment, and other frivolities.
