By Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja

Some former National Assembly members have cautioned Nigerians against blaming the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, over his recent statement that a ‘ token’ had been sent to the senators’ bank accounts for their enjoyment during the six-week annual recess.

The former federal lawmakers spoke through the Dean, Faculty Board, Leadership Council of The Initiatives, Hon. Eseme Eyiboh, who is a former spokesperson for the House of Representatives, at a news conference yesterday.

Eyiboh explained that ‘The Initiative’ is the agenda-setting college of former and serving National Assembly members.

He said the ‘token’ sent to the bank accounts of the senators was meant to cushion the effects of the current economic hardship on them.

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He claimed that National Assembly members had not been paid any salary or allowance since their inauguration on June 13.

Eyiboh said, “In a time like this, Senators are going on holidays. A token had already been sent to them. He did not say the Clerk shall send. He said the Clerk had sent. As of the time he was making that statement, the senators had received the alerts already.

“Even though they are senators, these people were inaugurated on June 13th. We are now in August and they are going on break. They will resume in September. By the time they resume in September, how do we expect them to cope since they had not received their salaries?

“The capital releases to all ministries, departments, and agencies were withheld. So they had not collected their salaries. Whatever is given to them, whether as salaries, allowances, or whatever it is, they deserved it.

“The worker deserves his wages. If you allow a Senator to go on holiday in a time like this without money is dangerous. Some senatorial districts like Orlu or Eket have as many as 18 local government areas. If a Senator goes to his senatorial district now without a salary, don’t you know what will happen to him?

“That token was the representation of a gesture. If you are entitled to your salary and it was not paid, you could be given a token. It is an intervention, it is to ameliorate suffering you would have otherwise suffered.

“The word ‘token’ is just an intervention. He didn’t say they had posted their salaries. For a man who is kind and generous as he is, there is no just reason to attack him, there is nothing wrong with what he has said.

“His colleagues had already received the money. Let us be considerate because the senators had made a lot of sacrifices. They work till 11 pm on some days and outside the legislative days. I think we should appreciate that.”

Eyiboh also defended the actions of the Senate President in consulting with the executive arm of government to address issues of national importance.