IBADAN – Prof. Isaac Albert of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, has attributed the high cost of governance in the country to corruption.
Albert told the News Agency of Nigeria in Ibadan that the presidential system of government being practised in the country was not as cost effective when compared with other countries that practice the system.
According to him, the reason why there is high cost of governance in the country is because politicians are not practising true democracy.
He said that many politicians venture into politics because of the craving for material acquisition.
The don said that for the incoming administration to reduce cost of governance, it must reduce wastage in Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs).
“You will find out that most of the ministries have ghost workers and this is one of the factors causing corruption in governance,’’ he said.
He advised the incoming government to block all channels and leakages were they steal public funds.
On whether law makers should fix their own remuneration, Albert said the Salary and Wages Commission should fix wages.
“As a professor in the university, I know how much I receive and I should not expect anything more, that is how it should be for the lawmakers,’’ Albert said.
Also, Dr Nureni Adeniran, Public Relations Officer of Accord Party in Oyo State, said the cost of governance in Nigeria was too high for the economy to bear.
“The cost of governance in Nigeria is too high and I support the idea that it should be pruned down.
“It is true that the presidential system that the nation adopted is naturally expensive because of its in-built checks and balances,’’ Adeniran said.
He, however, said that the Nigerian model was more expensive because of the large retinue of aides engaged by political office holders.
“I agree with the idea that the cost of governance should be reduced drastically.’’
Mr Dapo Lam-Adesina, the outgoing Commissioner for Science and Technology and House of Representatives member-elect, however, shared a different view.
“There is nothing too expensive about the salary of a legislator for example, that anybody could be talking of reducing it,’’ Lam-Adesina said.
Lam-Adesina argued that if the salary was reduced, the office would be less attractive to political office seekers.
Chief Akin Oke, the APC Chairman in Oyo State, also cautioned against the move to prune costs, saying “there is no need to cut cost of governance because we have to think of development in general’’.
He also said the presidential system of government that Nigeria had adopted was expensive, adding that this might translate to huge cost.
Oke, who opposed the idea that the number of ministers be reduced, argued that the constitution demanded that each state must have a minister.
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He said: “So, if you are saying we should not have a Minister of State for example, which state are you saying should not be represented?
“In campaigning for a cut in the cost of governance, we must be very careful not to tamper with the issue of development.’’
But Mr Asimiyu Alarape, a former Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, has attributed the high cost of governance in the country to the huge amount spent by candidates during electioneering campaigns.
Alarape said that there was no way politicians would spend so much and not seek to recover the sum when elected into office.
He, however, said that cost of governance could be reduced in the country by the formulation of a policy that would limit the cost of spending in an election.
The former speaker also said that the more the aides engaged by those in positions of authority, the better it would be for the society.
Dr Kola Balogun, a former Commissioner for Commerce in Oyo State, also told NAN that the presidential system of government was very expensive in the country due to the “Nigerian factor’’.
He urged the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, to set up a committee that would determine the emoluments of political office holders, urging him to lead by example.
“If what we hear about the president-elect is true, I believe he can do it. He should start from the presidential villa, National Assembly, states and local government areas,’’ Balogun said.
Balogun also faulted the huge amount spent on electioneering campaigns by politicians, saying such would tempt them to embezzle public funds. (NAN)
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