In this week’s backlash and lashback, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Senator Dino Melaye engage themselves over corruption allegation levelled against the National Assembly by the former Nigerian leader.The damning verdict he passed on the National Assembly, Senator Dino Melaye descended verbally on former President Olusegun Obasanjo, saying the former Nigerian leader was the one who exposed the federal lawmakers to easy money and corruption during his time as president of the country.

Melaye who represents Kogi West in the Senate pointed out that Obasanjo had no moral ground to scribble the letter he sent to the leadership of the National Assembly. He the former president’s outburst in the letter was misplacement of anger.

Obasanjo had in a letter addressed to Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara accused members of the National Assembly of corruption and extravagant wastage of the nation’s resources despite the harsh economic reality confronting the nation.

In a statement he issued personally, the senator asked Obasanjo not to mistake the 8th National Assembly for the one during his government which, according to him, the ex-president corrupted with bribery to get the failed unconstitutional third term bid.

He said even though he had tremendous respect for the former President and is against corruption anywhere in Nigeria, he would not support accusations based on anger and vindictiveness.

Melaye said, “I have tremendous respect for president Olusegun Aremu Okikiola Obasanjo. Elder statesman,respected pan Africanist and committed patriot. I went through the letter written to all Senators and members of the House of Representatives.

“The letter, I can see, is a misplacement of anger. Our leader is mistaking the 8th National Assembly as the same Senate Assembly that defrauded him in 2007. Those who collected his money and refused to implement the 3rd term agenda. I appeal to baba that we are not the ones please.

“After 9 years of that bribery saga,the first of its kind, I expect forgiveness to have taken place. There was the case of bribery introduced by the obasanjo regime in the desperate attempt to remove speaker Ghali Umar Na’abba from office then. In fact there was open display of that bribery money on the floor of the house.

“That (Obasanjo’s) government exposed the National Assembly to corruption and easy money. I hope this is not in an attempt to cover up and distract attention from the Halliburton and Siemens corruption allegations.ads]

“While I am against corruption anywhere in Nigeria, I will not support accusations based on anger and vindictiveness. The 8th Senate should also look inwardly and purge herself of all the deliberate misgivings of the past. Nigeria must work and we must support the anti corruption stand of the Buhari Administration. God bless Nigeria”.

Melaye was not the only one who attacked Obasanjo. Reacting to the allegation raised by the former president, the spokesman of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas, dismissed Obasanjo’s letter as one probably meant for the lawmakers who served, while he was President between 1999 to 2007.

Namdas added that the leadership of the House has respect for Obasanjo and will not join him in issues, which does not concern them, insisting that the letter was misdirected at the 8th National Assembly.

“We have tremendous respect for the former President. Such letter is distractive and probably such letter is not for the 8th Assembly. It may be for the 4th and 5th Assemblies when the former President was in power.

“And if you think the letter was for us, I think he was advising us to be open and this Assembly is open,” Namdas added.

But former President Obasanjo gave Senator Melaye the verbal lashing of his life when he quickly took to his twitter handle and told the lawmaker that he was not ready to bandy words with a Body-guard Senator like him.

Obasanjo was apparently referring to the incident that happened last year in which Melaye and some Senators accompanied the wife of the Senate President, Toyin Saraki to the Abuja office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) when she was invited questioning over money laundering allegations.

Responding to the Senator’s accusation that he (Obasanjo) introduced ‘easy money’ and corruption into the National Assembly during his time as president, the former leader, who has a verified account, took to Twitter asked Melaye to shut up, as he was short of time to trade words with him.

Obasanjo twitted: “Dear Nigerians, Pls remind me the name of the Nigerian senator that abandoned his duties to act as bodyguard to someone accused of corruption. Someone should tell Dino Melaye that if I want to trade words with Bodyguard-Senators, I will call him but for now, let him shut his mouth”.

In his letter dated January 13, the former president had accused the lawmakers of fixing and earning salaries and allowances that were far above what is prescribed for them by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RAMFC). According to him, most of the 109 senators and 369 members of the House of Representatives were receiving constituency allowances without maintaining constituency offices as the laws required of them.

Obasanjo said it was wasteful and insensitive for the federal lawmakers to demand for anvehicle each as official cars despite the fact that the vehicles had been monetised. He said, “The recent issue of cars for legislators would fall into the same category. Whatever name it is disguisedl as, it is unnecessary and insensitive.

“A pool of a few cars for each chamber will suffice for any committee Chairman or members for any specific duty. The waste that had gone into cars, furniture and housing renovation in the past was mind-boggling and these were veritable sources of waste and corruption. That was why they were abolished. Bringing them back is inimical to the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians”.

He recalled one of his face-off with the federal lawmakers during his regime when members of the National Assembly threatened to impeach him because he failed to give them some money which they demanded outside their salaries and allowances.

His words: “The commission (RMAFC) did its job but by different disingenuous ways and devices, the legislature had overturned the recommendation of the commission and hiked up for themselves that which they are unwilling to spell out in detail, though they would want to defend it by force of arm if necessary. What is that?

“Mr. President of the Senate and Hon. Speaker of the House, you know that your emolument, which the commission had recommended for you, takes care of all your legitimate requirements: basic salary, car, housing, staff, constituency allowance.

“Although the constituency allowance is paid to all members of the National Assembly, many of them have no constituency offices, which the allowance is partly meant to cater for. And yet, other allowances and payments have been added by the National Assembly for the National Assembly members’ emoluments.

“Surely, strictly speaking, it is unconstitutional. There is no valid argument for this except to see it for what it is – law-breaking and impunity by lawmakers.”

Obasanjo also asked the National Assembly leadership to “return to the path of honour, distinguishness, sensitivity and responsibility” by making its accounts open and transparent.

Leadership…….

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