– Nigeria is going through one of the worst periods in her economic history with a recession that has put the country into financial quagmire
– But a new report has revealed how National Assembly members received outrageous amount of money in one year despite the economic crunch
– Nigerian law makers are said to be the highest paid in the world
The Nigerian legislative arm is known for its many financial scandals
An investigation by the Economic Confidential has revealed how lawmakers which include senators and members of House of Representatives have received a total of N6.78 billion as their official salaries and allowances in twelve months. As reported by the Economic intelligence magazine, allowances which labelled‘legitimate’ remuneration are due to federal legislators in line with the provisions and statutory approval of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, (RMAFC).
The allowances are said to include annual salaries, accommodation, vehicle maintenance and fuel, personal assistants, house maintenance, domestic staff, entertainment and utilities allowances. Others allowances are stated as constituency allowance, annual leave, hardship allowance, wardrobe, newspapers and responsibility allowances. A detailed study of the report revealed how each senator carts away a whopping annual salary of N2.02 million while a house member gets N1.98 million as annual basic salary. The basic salary of the senate president is N2.48 million while that of the speaker of house is N2.47 million. The Deputy Senate President has N2.30 million as annual basic salary while his deputy speaker receives N2.28 million annually. The report further revealed how assembly members receives 200 per cent of the annual salary for accommodation, 75 percent for vehicle maintenance, 25 percent for personal Assistants, 5 percent for house maintenance, 75 percent for domestic staff, 30 percent for both entertainment and utilities. Other allowances include: 25 percent for wardrobe, 15 percent for newspapers and responsibility allowance of between 10, 7, and 5 percent respectively as the case may be on the position of the legislator. While each senator receives a mind boggling 250 percent for constituency allowance, member of House of Representative gets 100 percent for the same annually.
Conclusively, the senate alone numbering 109 senators allegedly took N1.85 billion under twelve months, while the 360 members of the House of Representatives carted away N4.93 billion! Another shocking revelation in the report is how federal law makers are entitled to non-regular allowances. The hidden allowances include furniture and severance gratuity which they get every four years. Lawmakers are also entitled to estacode allowances which is paid in US dollars for foreign trips and duty tour allowance. This bogus allowances by Nigerian lawmakers contrast rather depressingly with the take home pay of an average Nigerian worker who earns a minimum wage of N18,000 monthly. A report once revealed Nigerian lawmakers as the highest paid in the world with remunerations and allowances surpassing those of law makers in the UK and the United states. Nigerians have always condemned the fat allowances of their lawmakers who were also recently embroiled in budget padding scandal. This report will further cement the reputation of assembly members as rogues and armed robbers as described by former president Olusegun Obasanjo
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– But a new report has revealed how National Assembly members received outrageous amount of money in one year despite the economic crunch
– Nigerian law makers are said to be the highest paid in the world
An investigation by the Economic Confidential has revealed how lawmakers which include senators and members of House of Representatives have received a total of N6.78 billion as their official salaries and allowances in twelve months. As reported by the Economic intelligence magazine, allowances which labelled‘legitimate’ remuneration are due to federal legislators in line with the provisions and statutory approval of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, (RMAFC).
The allowances are said to include annual salaries, accommodation, vehicle maintenance and fuel, personal assistants, house maintenance, domestic staff, entertainment and utilities allowances. Others allowances are stated as constituency allowance, annual leave, hardship allowance, wardrobe, newspapers and responsibility allowances. A detailed study of the report revealed how each senator carts away a whopping annual salary of N2.02 million while a house member gets N1.98 million as annual basic salary. The basic salary of the senate president is N2.48 million while that of the speaker of house is N2.47 million. The Deputy Senate President has N2.30 million as annual basic salary while his deputy speaker receives N2.28 million annually. The report further revealed how assembly members receives 200 per cent of the annual salary for accommodation, 75 percent for vehicle maintenance, 25 percent for personal Assistants, 5 percent for house maintenance, 75 percent for domestic staff, 30 percent for both entertainment and utilities. Other allowances include: 25 percent for wardrobe, 15 percent for newspapers and responsibility allowance of between 10, 7, and 5 percent respectively as the case may be on the position of the legislator. While each senator receives a mind boggling 250 percent for constituency allowance, member of House of Representative gets 100 percent for the same annually.
Conclusively, the senate alone numbering 109 senators allegedly took N1.85 billion under twelve months, while the 360 members of the House of Representatives carted away N4.93 billion! Another shocking revelation in the report is how federal law makers are entitled to non-regular allowances. The hidden allowances include furniture and severance gratuity which they get every four years. Lawmakers are also entitled to estacode allowances which is paid in US dollars for foreign trips and duty tour allowance. This bogus allowances by Nigerian lawmakers contrast rather depressingly with the take home pay of an average Nigerian worker who earns a minimum wage of N18,000 monthly. A report once revealed Nigerian lawmakers as the highest paid in the world with remunerations and allowances surpassing those of law makers in the UK and the United states. Nigerians have always condemned the fat allowances of their lawmakers who were also recently embroiled in budget padding scandal. This report will further cement the reputation of assembly members as rogues and armed robbers as described by former president Olusegun Obasanjo
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