Senate President Bukola Saraki has issued an official response to the letter written to the National Assembly by former president Olusegun Obasanjo.

Obasanjo had forwarded a letter dated Wednesday, January 13, accusing the lawmakers of being insensitive to the economic realities of the nation with their plan to purchase exotic vehicles worth billions of naira.

He also accused the senators of being greedy, lawless and corrupt.

The senate president had subsequently acknowledged the receipt of the letter, and through his spokesperson, Bankole Omisore, expressed utmost respect for Obasanjo as an elder-statesman, stating that he would reply the correspondence in due time.

Bukola Saraki, in a letter dated Friday, January 29 responded to the former president’s letter, as promised.

In the letter obtained by Premium Times, Saraki thanked Obasanjo for his concern for the state of the nation.

He stated that the senate under his watch was taking a stand to ensure that there is prudent management of resources in the nation and blocking leakages which might have happened in the past from happening in this current dispensation.

He said: “The 8th National Assembly under my leadership is already taking deliberate steps to strengthen the country’s democratic institutions and ensure prudent management of resources. This is to ensure that we plug all leakages and minimize waste across our expenditure systems,”

“Likewise, the 8th National Assembly has made the issue of plugging leakages and cutting wastages in our public expenditure system a major priority that should not be toyed with. This may have happened in the past but it will not happen with us.”

Speaking on corruption as mentioned by Obasanjo, Saraki revealed that the senate was working hand in hand with President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that the efforts to eliminate the scourge from the country are fruitful.

He said: “In the area of the war against corruption, we are hand in glove with the president on the matter and this is why we are overhauling our oversight functions to make it more effective in exposing corruption in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies. We recognize the hard work our anti-corruption agencies are putting into this fight.”

“The Senate is resolved to support them to perform their duty effectively by providing them with adequate funding where necessary, as their work in integral to our oversight responsibility.”

Obasanjo in his letter had also accused the lawmakers of earning remunerations that were more than the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission approved for them.

He also tagged the plan by the lawmakers to buy exotic cars for themselves as wasteful and mind-boggling while accusing them of being insensitive to the plight of the citizens of the country.

In response, Saraki said: “Let me assure your Excellency and all Nigerians that we are fully aware of the challenges we are facing as a nation.”

“As leaders with a duty, we will not disappoint Nigerians in their yearnings for a more transparent public expenditure system,” he finished.

Meanwhile, the debacle of whether the lawmakers would actually spend over N4 billion on the purchase of exotic vehicles for themselves is still very much on despite the public outcry against such expenditures.