Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday in Ibadan described Nigerian lawmakers as a “bunch of unarmed robbers”.
Obasanjo said the current legislators were one of the highest paid lawmakers in the world, despite the fact that an estimated 75 percent of Nigerians populace lived in poverty.
The former president spoke at the book presentation of Prof. Mark Nwagwu entitled: “I am Kagara, I Weave the Sands of Sahara” at the University of Ibadan.
Obasanjo was the Chief Host, while the former Minister of Education, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili chaired the occasion.
Obasanjo insisted that he would continue to criticise national assembly members because they consumed a huge percentage of the nation’s overhead cost.
He lamented that the nation would hardly develop when about 90 percent of revenue was spent on overhead costs, rather than on capital expenses.
“The way we are going about spending all our revenue to pay overhead, we will not develop.
“And we will have ourselves to blame. Ninety percent of revenue is used to pay overhead, allowances, salaries and not much is left for capital development.
“It is even worse for the National Assembly. They will abuse me again but I will never stop talking about them. They are a bunch of unarmed robbers.
“They are one of the highest paid in the world where we have 75 percent of our people living in abject poverty.
“They will abuse me tomorrow and if they don’t, maybe they are sleeping. The behaviour and character of the National Assembly should be condemned and roundly condemned,” he said.
