In a revealing interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, September 27, 2024, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, made a bold statement countering public perceptions about politicians’ motivations.
According to Dogara, many Nigerian politicians are not in government for financial gain and would even work for free—provided public demands on them were significantly reduced.
“If we can cut the demands on some of these our government officials by 90 percent, I assure you that there are so many people there who are willing to work free of charge,” Dogara asserted during the interview.
He added a metaphor to illustrate his point, saying, “But the situation is that you cannot put a lot of burden on my head, and you knock on my leg which I am supposed to stand in order to carry the burden.”
Dogara also addressed the ongoing hardship and hunger affecting Nigerians, revealing that President Bola Tinubu acknowledged the crisis in a recent discussion with former National Assembly leaders during a visit to Aso Rock.
“President Tinubu promised that he is doing something about the hunger and hardship in the country,” Dogara disclosed.
Dogara also weighed in on the controversial issue of petrol subsidy removal, which has been blamed for the current inflation and soaring prices of goods in the country.
He argued that President Tinubu was not responsible for the removal, explaining that the subsidy had already been removed before the president assumed office, as it was not captured in the budget.
“We must accept, whether we like it or not, except we are disingenuous to say that the removal of subsidy itself, whether the president said that subsidy was gone or that he was removing subsidy, we all know that subsidy had been removed before he was elected,” Dogara stated.
“It wasn’t in the budget, so if there is no provision in the budget, how do you pay? It is illegal for the executive to appropriate money. They can only appropriate money in consequence of an express legislative authorization, which is the budget. And in this case, there was no provision in the budget,” he explained.
Dogara concluded by commending the president for accepting responsibility for the challenges facing the country, adding that, “accepting responsibility for a problem is the beginning of finding a solution for it.”
The interview offered key insights into both the personal motivations of Nigerian politicians and the nation’s pressing economic challenges under President Tinubu’s administration.