Senator Sumaila Kawu, the Kano South lawmaker, has disclosed that he receives over N21m monthly as over-all take-home package.
Sumaila made this disclosure barely 24 hours after the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) stated that each of the 109 senators in the upper chamber receives a total of N1.06m in salary and allowances per month.
Mohammed Shehu, Chairman of the RMAFC, made the clarification in response to a recent controversy over how much each congressman earns per month.
According to Shehu's statement, each lawmaker earns N12.72 million each year, with the Federal Government spending a total of N1.4 billion on all senators.
A breakdown of their monthly paychecks revealed that each Senator receives a monthly pay and allowances of N1,063,860, which includes a basic salary of N168,866:70, a motor vehicle fueling and maintenance allowance of N126,650:00, and a personal assistant of N42,216:66.
Other expenses include domestic staff (126,650:00), entertainment (50,660:00), utilities (50,660:00), newspapers/periodicals (25,330:00), clothing (42,216,66:00), house upkeep (N8,443.33:00), and constituency allowance (N422,166:66).
Shehu in the statement noted, “The commission also wishes to use this opportunity to state that any allegation regarding other allowance(s) being enjoyed by any political, public office holder outside those provided in the Remuneration (Amendment) Act, 2008 should be explained by the person who made the allegation.’’
The Commission also advised Nigerians and any other interested party to access the full details of the current compensation for public, political and judicial office holders in Nigeria on its website at www.rmafc.gov.ng.
Meanwhile, in an interview with British Broadcasting Hausa Service, Senator Kawu on Wednesday morning emphasised that although his monthly salary is about N1M, but his remuneration was N21m. This amount varies largely from the earlier statement made by RMAFC.
Kawu said, “The amount of salary I receive per month is less than N1m, if there are cuts, it comes back to about six hundred thousand naira and a little something as salary. He also added that there are usually a few deductions by the RMFAC.
Recall that last week, allowances received by Federal lawmakers became a controversial issue which also resulted to a recent revelation made by former president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo.
Obasanjo had revealed that members of the National Assembly pay bogus salaries and allowances to themselves and this contravenes the extant laws.
Obasanjo who served as Nigerian president in 1999 and 2007 while receiving six members of the House of Representatives, led by Ikenga UgoChinyere who visited him in Abeokuta, rebuked the Federal lawmakers for fixing their salaries and other allowances.
During the parley, Obasanjo said, “In your case, with all due respect, you’re not supposed to fix your salaries. But you decide what you pay yourself, the allowances that you give yourselves (including) newspaper allowances.
“You give yourselves all sorts of things, and you know it is not right. It is immoral, (yet) you are doing it, the Senate is doing it, and you are beating your chests about it. In some cases, the executive gives you what you’re not entitled to. You all got N200 million (each).”
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