I will distribute conference allowance to charity, says Ozekhome

By A’isha Biola Raji

A constitutional lawyer, Chief Mike A.A Ozekhome (SAN) has made known his intention of collecting the national conference delegate monthly allowance and distributing it to charitable courses.

Chief Mike made this known in a signed statement however commended Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) and Pastor Tunde Bakare for rejecting their own monthly take home of the alleged N12m allowance at the National Conference.

He said, “My own approach will be quite different, I will collect the money and distribute it to the less-privileged and needy members of the society, the vast majority of the “Frantz Fanon’s of the wretched of the earth” that populate the nooks and crannies of Nigeria.”

Calling attention to the actual allowance, he said the N4 million allowances amounting to N12million for the 3 months duration of the conference is false.

He however vowed not to further enrich the Federal Government by rejecting the allowance, saying, “I will not agree to further enrich the Federal Government of Nigeria by returning my conference allowance. For one thing, the money has already been appropriated and released from government coffers”.

He claimed that the actual N3million naira paid to each delegate is not too much considering the high cost of living in Abuja.

He said, “Looking at the prohibitive air fares, security, cost of hotel accommodation in Abuja, and the fact that conferees will converge in Abuja for three months, abandon their various businesses and means of livelihood, to discuss how to retool Nigeria, the allowance will be well earned.”