Some Nigerians have expressed outrage over what they described as insensitivity of federal lawmakers to their plight after a video of Senate President, God’swill Akpabio, surfaced on the social media where he was heard informing fellow Senators that money had been wired into their individual bank accounts in order to enjoy their annual vacation.
The viral video surfaced early Wednesday morning, a development now causing ripples and anger across social media platforms.
Akpabio had on Monday night at the tail-end of a special plenary session after the Senate completed the screening and confirmation of President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial nominees, openly informed Senators that the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Magaji Tambuwal, had wired money into their individual bank accounts in order to enjoy their annual holiday.
“In order to enable all of us to enjoy our holidays, a token has been sent to our various accounts by the Clerk of the National Assembly…,” Akpabio said amid interruptions from Senators, who were apparently dissatisfied with his public disclosure for fear of a backlash.
The development forced the Senate President to pause a bit and thereafter withdraw the statement for the record and rephrased the same information.
“In order to enjoy your holidays, the Senate President has sent prayers to your mailboxes to assist you to go on a safe journey and return,” Akpabio had said in the alternative to calm down frayed nerves.
But, Nigerians have taken to social media to berate the Senate President and his colleagues for allegedly feeding fat on the nation’s commonwealth at a time majority of Nigerians were facing economic challenges occasioned by Federal Government’s policy of petrol subsidy removal, among others.
Some also wondered why political officeholders would enjoy perks of office to the fullest while President Bola Tinubu was asking ordinary Nigerians to sacrifice.
Reacting, activist and self-proclaimed defender of democracy, Comrade Timi Frank, berated Senate President Akpabio over his revelation that money had been sent to all Senators by the management of the National Assembly to enjoy their annual vacation.
Speaking via a video recording he forwarded to LEADERSHIP on Wednesday morning, Frank described Akpabio’s revelation on a live national TV as a “show of shame” and a mockery of democracy and Nigerians, even as he called on the Senate President to resign his position immediately.
He said it was insensitive for the federal lawmakers to enjoy national resources in the name of mere holidaying at a time Nigerians were facing hardships and other economic challenges.
Frank, therefore, called on President Tinubu to act now and end Akpabio’s leadership of the Senate and its attendant ‘national embarrassment’ by telling him to resign immediately.
“The show of shame that was demonstrated today (Monday) on a live national television where the Senate under Akpabio was telling the whole world and Nigerians that they are going on vacation, and the Clerk of the National Assembly has paid money to every account of the Nigerian Senators.
“This is the biggest joke we’ve seen in recent times, and that is the main reason why I’m making it bold and very clear that Senator God’swill Akpabio must immediately resign as the Senate President. He cannot continue to make mockery of our democracy and make mockery of Nigerians.
“This is the same man who made mockery of the poor, and made it very clear in the Senate chamber by saying ‘Let the poor breathe’. Meanwhile, he was laughing because he knew they will definitely never allow the poor to breathe, they’ll continue to suffocate the poor and that is what he demonstrated today (Monday) on a live TV by sharing the resources that belongs to the poor to their personal accounts.
“Akpabio has shown that since the inception of the Nigerian Senate, this is the most corrupt Senate President ever Nigerians have witnessed.
“I use this opportunity to call on President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to end this joke and Nollywood act of Akpabio, that this is the time he the President must tell Akpabio to resign for this show of shame and national embarrassment, Nigerians can no longer take this in this APC government anymore,” Frank stated.
