There has been a raging controversy as to the real salary accrued to a Nigerian senator as the citizens continue to demand a cut in the cost of governance.
A new revelation has however emerged as Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila, a member of the
10th Senate, representing Kano South senatorial district on the platform of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), said he earns a cumulative N21 million monthly in salary and allowances.
He disclosed this in a chat with BBC Hausa Wednesday.
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“My monthly salary is less than N1million. After deductions, the figure comes down to a little over N600,000,” Senator Sumaila said.
He, however, added that: “Given the increase effected, in the Senate, each Senator gets N21million every month as running cost.”
This revelation comes on the heels of a claim by former president Olusegun Obasanjo who had alleged that the national assembly members fixed their salaries and allowances.
“It is not right for me to be the one to declare, and determine what I pay myself. It is immoral and then you are doing it,” he said.
“The Senate is doing it and in some cases, the executive gives you what you are not entitled to. You all got N200 million.”
Findings by BusinessDay show that the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) is the body empowered by law to fix salaries and allowances of political officeholders.
According to RMAFC, a Nigerian Senator goes home with N1,063,860 ($672) each month.
A breakdown shows that a senator’s basic salary is N168,866, motor vehicle fueling and maintenance allowance of N126,650.00; personal assistant pay of N42,216.66; domestic staff 126,650.00 and entertainment, N50,660.00.
Other benefits include utilities, N50,660.00; newspapers/periodicals N25,330.00; wardrobe allowance, N42,216,66.00; house maintenance, N8,443.33.00 and constituency allowance, N422,166.66.
Also, the monthly salary and allowances of a House of Representatives member was fixed at N794,086.
A breakdown shows that a representative’s basic salary is N165,434, motor vehicle fueling and maintenance allowance of N124,075, personal assistant pay of N41,358, domestic staff 124,075 and entertainment, N49,630.
Other benefits include: utilities, N49,630; newspapers/periodicals N25,330.00; wardrobe allowance, N41,358; house maintenance, N8,271 and constituency allowance, N165,434.
Besides their total salaries, national assembly members do receive “running costs” that accrue to them monthly.
In 2018, Shehu Sani, a former senator who represented Kaduna central, had said he received N13.5 million as running costs monthly, almost 13 times their actual total salaries.
There have however been calls for all tiers and arms of government to cut down on costs as the country combats with its lingering economic downturn.
During the #EndBadGovernance protest, demonstrators called for a part time national assembly. According to them, the country cannot continue to pay lawmakers who are either always absent at plenary or less participatory.
“The former governors have turned the Senate to a retirement arena where they just get to enrich themselves more with little or no contribution,” one of the organisers had said.
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