Government critic and former Petroleum minister, Professor Tam David-West has lambasted the government for its jumbo pay allocation to delegates sitting at the National conference.
The ex-minister expressed disappointment in both the government and delegates for provision and acceptance of obscene sums of money in order to discharge what should ordinarily be civic functions.
He said, “At last, President Jonathan has inaugurated the jamboree of 492 Nigerians for his so-called national conference. Like a number of Nigerians, I am not enthusiastic about the outcome of the Abuja jamboree. I am not only skeptical; I am cynical about the whole charade.
“Why 492 people? It is like a village. What is even more obscene and disturbing is that each one of them will have N30,000 for food per day in a country where the government cannot pay N18,000 minimum wage per month. Now, it is giving N30,000 per day to selected Nigerians. In addition, they have N4 million each as housing allowance per month. Government has not faulted these figures.
“The statistics show unseriousness on the part of the government and members. No doubt, some of the members are very eminent Nigerians, but I am surprised that they did not refuse the huge pay. Why should any responsible and patriotic Nigerian receive any money from government to come and discuss the national question of how the country can be better governed or better exist? None of them has deemed it fit to reject the pay in view of the crunching economy of the country, just on moral grounds. They have lost the moral ground to discuss the national question. This is very disastrous.”