‘N24OM SPENT ON A SENATOR PER YEAR’
Reputable Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Robert Clark has said that the Presidential system imposed on Nigerians by former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has been the rot of this country.
According to him, the system engendered a President without any inhibition, adding that besides God, the Nigerian President is the most powerful person we have on earth. “Under the Presidential system you are not accountable to anybody that is how it is run in Nigeria”, the eminent lawyer said today on Channels Television, adding that the President and the governors are holding on to too much powers. “After God, it is them”, he said.
He faulted the idea of the President picking his cabinet through the governors, stressing that the President has executive powers and is therefore at liberty to pick whomever he wants in his cabinet subject to ratification by the Senate.
He condemned political parties for refusing to let go on the candidate they present for election adding that they often dangle threats of impeachment before the executive once they refuse to do their bidding. The lawyer attributed Nigerian underdevelopment to the use of 80 percent of the nation’s resources to maintain government apparatus adding that it costs the nation N240 million to take care of one senator in a year.
This development, he pointed out accounts for the lack of infrastructures including estates the type that former Governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande built in Lagos. The lawyer commended President Goodluck Jonathan, adding that today the railways from Lagos to Kano is now working.
“I give kudos to Jonathan, today the railways from Lagos to Kano is now working. There is a silent development is the railways, lithe train from Abuja to Kano is coming on, there is light in the tunnel”, he said, adding that security votes is never in the Nigerian constitution and is therefore illegal.
On recent deportation in Lagos, the legal luminary said the Lagos State Government has right to deport destitute once the relevant state government is informed. He added that the constitution does not cover people who are insane.
On alleged perpetual injunction granted former Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili, the lawyer emphasised that no judge will ever grant any perpetual injunction. “No court will grant perpetual injunction. An injunction must be hinged on the happening of an event, and I doubt if Odili had a perpetual injunction. What happened is that the charges brought against him were challenged on a technical ground and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) did not appeal.
He said that the registration of the All Progressive Congress (APC) by INEC will make Nigeria better, adding that a two party system is the best for the country.
