Reps reply Obasanjo, say 10th assembly driven by patriotism

The House of Representatives say its members are driven by patriotism and service to Nigerians, not parochial sentiment.

The Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, said this on Sunday in Abuja.

Agbese was reacting to claims by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that members of the National Assembly determined their own salaries and allowances.

According to him, the 10th House of Representatives is different from Obasanjo’s era, adding that the former president was using the past to pass judgment on the present.

“As a parliament, we have strived to maintain the highest level of accountability and transparency in all that we do.

“The very respected former president is reacting because of the things that transpired between him and the National Assembly during his time as president.

“This is no longer the case, as quite a lot has been done by the current leadership of the House of Representatives to deliver purposeful leadership to the Nigerian masses,” he said.

Agbese said that the House of Representatives, under the leadership of the Speaker, Tajudeen Abass, was passionately concerned about the welfare of Nigerians.

“In the 10th House of Representatives, we mean everything we say and do for the Nigerian people.

“The era of narrow interest is over. We are here for our people and their collective interests,” he said.

On allegations that President Bola Tinubu gave the sum of N100 million and N200 million to members of the National Assembly, Agbese said that it did not happen.

He said that Tinubu was getting the support of the National Assembly due to sheer diplomacy and consultation.

It was reported that Obasanjo, in a recent media chat, had condemned the lawmakers for deciding their own salaries and allocating frivolous allowances to themselves.