* Says Some Ministers, Govt Officials Abusing Trust Given To Them
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The Chairman Senate Committee on Army, Senator Ali Ndume has called for salary slash for civil servants who no longer go to work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senator Ndume gave this suggestion when he spoke at a media briefing in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital on 8th day of June, 2020.
He said despite the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, the State and Federal Government are spending more to sustain personnel and non-personnel cost. He opined that those who are not going to work now should be given palliatives and paid less.
”The government should critically look at the recurrent and personnel expenditure which consumes about 70% of the budget. More should be pumped into Capital. People should make sacrifice. This is the time to look at issues critically.
“I think there should be more sacrifice, especially on the personnel side. How can you sustain the same personnel and overhead cost when even the work they are doing, most people don’t go to the office now and they are being paid fully for the month. Is there any justification for that?
If you can’t work because of the pandemic, then you should be given palliatives and be paid less”he said.
In another development, Senator Ndume accused some cabinet members and senior Government officials in the President Muhammadu Buhari’s Government of exploiting the trust given to them by the President to advance their personal benefits to the detriment of the nation.
According to him, there were kleptomaniacs in Buhari’s Government who pay lip service to the President’s anti-corruption vision.
Senator Ndume expressed worry that some senior Government officials have taken advantage of the President’s delegation of power and responsibilities to them to pursue personal and political interests that negates the interests of the President.
He was speaking against the backdrop of the forthcoming June 12 Democracy Day celebration where he lamented how some ally’s of the President in Government have abused the trust reposed on them.
According to him:
“Buhari remains the best President Nigeria has ever had; he is honest, doesn’t influence situations, people or manipulate the system. He gives people responsibilities and trust them with such responsibilities. Unfortunately, same people are now exploiting the trust. If you see me getting angry about what is happening now around the president and in the government, it is because I am close to him and will always speak against those who want to spoil this man’s name..”
Furthermore, he said Buhari remains his mentor having built a relationship with him for years, and was also encouraged by the President resident to join the All Progressive Congress (APC) at its formative stage in 2015.
He described the APC as a mix of “those who have Nigeria at heart and those who are committed to their own political course.”
He asked the Federal Government to review the distribution of COVID-19 palliatives by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs as many Nigerians, particularly in Borno and even colleagues in the National Assembly are complaining that they have not received any government palliatives.
Ali Ndume also appealed to the Federal Government to release the 2020 fund budgeted for capital expenditure to the army.
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