RipplesMetrics: How Nigerian taxpayers funded 36 lawmakers’ N74m trip to Canada

At a time when Nigeria is facing serious revenue challenges, and states are considering cutting work force to deal with shrinking resources, one would think that lawmakers, representing the people bearing the brunt of the hardship, would be more frugal.

After all, in various legislative assemblies, both at state and federal, the primary responsibilities are to ensure that critical issues confronting those they represent are resolved first.

These contracts of commitment to the people are clearly enunciated in the laws governing the country.

For example, on the website of the Lagos State House of Assembly, it is clearly stated that, “Our mission is interest of our people first.”

Similarly, Abia State House of Assembly in its well published blueprint for the people promised a legislature that responds to citizens demands for greater transparency and accountability first.

Acting the opposite

Amid the promises and realities facing the economy, Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria decided that the 2022 one-week retreat on legislative processes will be held in faraway Canada.

Speaking during the opening ceremony in Ottawa, the Chairman of the Conference and Speaker of Bauchi State House of Assembly Hon. Abubakar Suleiman explained that that the choice of Canada for the retreat is strategic given its shared history of being a commonwealth nation and democratic experiences with Nigeria.

He also noted during the retreat that the State Lawmakers in Nigeria settled for Canada in order to review that country’s practices.

Factoring the costs

While it can rightly be argued that there is need to improve legislative process in Nigeria, the timing of the retreat in Canada raises a lot of eyebrows.

It is estimated that the 36-man strong delegation, if aides are not included, will cost taxpayers over N74 million for hotel accommodation, feeding and travels.

According to checks on Travelstart, an online travel agency, a return flight ticket to Canada will cost each lawmaker at least N1,206,200 which comes to about N43.4 million. This does not include mobility within Canada.

The Travelstart website also revealed that a hotel that could house all lawmakers in one location would cost N126,502 per night and N885,514 for a week. This comes to over N31.8 million combined accommodation expenses for the 36 lawmakers.

Price of a jamboree

While the lawmakers enjoy the cool breeze of Canada, many Nigerian workers who they represent at different level continue to live in squalor.

Read also:RipplesMetrics: Here is how much an average Nigerian worker lost in wages in one year; thanks to inflation

In a recent report by BudgIT, it was revealed that at least 12 out of Nigeria’s 36 states owed workers at least one-month salary as at July 28.

Out of these, eight State governments failed to pay some of their workers for at least six months.

According to the report, some workers of Abia State government were not paid for 22 months.

In fact, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) identified Abia, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Gombe, Niger, Borno, Sokoto, Anambra, Imo, Benue, Taraba and Zamfara as states yet to implement N30,000 minimum wage for primary and secondary school teachers since the bill on the matter was signed into law in April 2019.

But the do the lawmakers really care? Do they appreciate the opportunity cost if their actions? Here is what the spend in Canada could have been used to achieve:

123 water boreholes

It could have constructed 123 boreholes at N600,000 each across the country. The boreholes would have reduced the challenges of proper sanitation caused by acute water scarcity in the communities, especially rural areas.

N.5m loans to 150 youths

With N500,000 loan each, it could have helped 150 young Nigerian graduates to start a business with the opportunity to scale and eventually employ thousands.

Healthcare for 2,466 Nigerians

The N75 million spent by the lawmakers could help 2,466 Nigerian families, out of the 83 million living below the poverty line, access free healthcare.

Five 3-block classrooms

The cost of the retreat accumulated by the lawmakers could also build five 3-block classrooms across the country at a cost of N15 million each.

This could potentially reduce Nigeria’s out-of-school children burden, provide educational facilities in places where students receive lessons under the “orange” tree and the country may finally begin to respond to the challenge of access to education.

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