One of the members of the Upper Chamber in the Senate, Ireti Heebah Kingibe has responded to Senate President, Godswill Akpabio’s humorous statement that prayers has been sent to their mails for their holiday enjoyment.
Kingibe said she didn’t receive any prayers in her mail. This could mean that she didn’t receive the allowance the Senate President claimed had been sent to the Senators in the house at the end of the Senate’s ministerial screening on Monday. The video which surfaced online on Wednesday, August 9, has met with mixed reactions from Nigerians and calls for Akpabio’s resignation as Senate President.
When asked in an interview if she received the “mail” the senate President sent to the lawmakers, Kingibe said;
“No, actually, I didn’t receive any prayers, but I’ll check my email for the prayers.”
Although, the sole lawmaker representing the FCT in the red chamber, said she didn’t know what the Senate President meant by prayers to their mail, she acknowledged that “most people” assumed allowances might have been paid to the lawmakers, but said such payments might be “statutory things that we would have been paid anyway”.
“I don’t think it was anything extra that we’re supposed to be given. I certainly haven’t seen anything extra,” Kingibe said.
Recall that at the concluding meeting of the upper chamber senate on Monday, August 7, the Senate President passively told the lawmakers present that “Money has been sent to their various accounts by the office clerk to enable them enjoy their holidays till they meet again in September.” When he was informed that the meeting was live and Nigerians heard what he said, Akpabio quickly withdrew the statement and said “Prayers has been sent to your various mails, to enable you enjoy your holiday.”
On Channels TV “Politics Today” discussion, Ireti who came as a guest explained that Nigerians are misunderstanding the situation as it could be that the allowance the senate President was referring to was a necessary payment for the Senate lawmakers.
“…most people” assumed allowances might have been paid to the lawmakers, she explained that such payments might be “statutory things that we would have been paid anyway.
“I don’t think it was anything extra that we’re supposed to be given. I certainly haven’t seen anything extra,” Ireti continued.
Speaking further on her take concerning the excess money the Nigerian Senate members’ receive, Kingibe revealed her own strategies of utilizing the funds. She said,
“I have a constituency office; I also have a development office where I do development programmes for the people, and hopefully, anything extra, I will put in any allowances.
“Obviously, I’m new (and) we’ve been paid very little. But as they come in, a lot of it will go towards funding that office, the development programmes.”
Meanwhile, the Senator said that government officials should be mandated to use only vehicles assembled in Nigeria. She noted that the measure would be in response to the public outcry over the high cost of governance amid economic hardships being experienced Nigerians.
In an interview on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’, Kingibe said, “I would insist that all government vehicles must have been assembled in Nigeria. That would go a long way to improving productivity in Nigeria.
“For one thing, Innoson, perhaps Volkswagen and Peugeot, and maybe even Toyota might decide that it’s worth their while to set up an assembly plant here.”
She also suggested that certain commodities, such as tinned tomatoes, should not be imported.
‘Ireti Heebah Kingibe was elected member of the senate representing the FCT in the 2023 Nigerian Senate elections under the Labour party. She is a younger sister of Ajoke Muhammed, the wife of former Nigerian head of state Murtala Muhammed.
