Prominent Nigerians and groups on Sunday took a swipe at the
National Assembly over the N13.5m running cost being paid to
senators.
The Campaign for Democracy, senior lawyers, including Mr. Femi
Falana, Mr. Yusuf Ali and Prof. Itse Sagay, in separate interviews
with The PUNCH also commended Senator Shehu Sani for the
disclosure.
Sani had, in an interview with TheNews, revealed that each
senator received N13.5m monthly as running cost apart from the
N700,000 consolidated salary and allowances paid to each of
them.
Sagay said Sani’s revelation had vindicated him on his criticism
of the lawmakers.
Sagay said. “I’ve always said they earn too much. This figure by
Sanni does not include constituency allowances, which is in
billions of naira.
“We still have budget padding from which millions are made by
them. By the time you put all that together, you can see that these
people are collecting a huge chunk of the Nigerian budget.”
The CD, in its reaction, said the N13.5m running cost could
employ over 100 graduates in the country.
The CD President, Usman Abdul, in an interview with The PUNCH,
said the huge earnings by the senators contributed to the
bastardisation of the economy.
He said, “You can take good care of over 100 graduates from a
senator’s salary. The legislature should deliberate on the abject
poverty and unemployment in the country.”
Also speaking, Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Jiti Ogunye, said Sani
must be commended for his courage.
Ogunye said, “What Senator Shehu Sani said has confirmed the
long-held fears of Nigerians that Nigerian legislators, both at the
state and national levels, have been short-changing Nigerians.
“They are not expected to use that elevated position to serve
their own interest at the expense of public interest. They are not
expected to allow their self-consideration to override their
commitment to abiding by the law.”
The Vice-President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Monday
Ubani, said Nigerians must demand a review of the lawmakers’
earnings.
Ubani, “It means that Nigerians have not been getting a fair
deal from our legislators. If a single person will be earning that
kind of money in a country where the minimum wage is N18,000;
something has to be done. We need to insist on a review of these
jumbo allowances.”
The Executive Chairman, Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open
Leadership, Mr. Debo Adeniran, said Nigerians had a right to be
displeased because they had not been getting a fair deal from the
lawmakers.
Adeniran said, “The outcry wouldn’t have been if the legislators
have been living up to the expectation of their constituents.
Nigerians don’t see the lawmakers as people who are representing
their interest.”
Falana said Sani’s revelation had proved that Nigerian
legislators were the highest paid in the world.
Falana, in a statement on Sunday, said, “Apart from the monthly
package of N13.5m, each senator is given the opportunity to execute
constituency projects to the tune of N200m per annum. However, the
disclosure made by Senator Sani does not cover the allowances for
cars, housing, wardrobe and furniture running to several millions
of naira approved for each senator.”
Also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Yusuf Ali, said the allowance
was insensitive given the state of the economy and the minimum wage
of the workers in the country.
He said, “Even if there were no mass unemployment and if the
economy were buoyant, suchallowance is totally unrelated to our
circumstances; it is very insensitive.”
The Head of Abuja office of Social Action, a non-governmental
organisation, Mrs. Vivian Bellonwu-Okafor, said the revelation was
another sad commentary in the history of political offices
emolument in Nigeria.
A former Managing Director of Unity Bank Plc, Mr Rislanudeen
Mohammed, said there was no justification for the N13.5m monthly
pay.
But the Senate said there was nothing new in what Sani said.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public
Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi-Abdullahi, in a statement said the
figures Sani disclosed were in the public domain.
“Senator Shehu Sani, on the salaries and funds for running of
offices of Senators, did not disclose anything new as the figures
he gave out about running cost of the offices of senators were
contained in various line items and expenditure heads of the budget
of the National Assembly, which has been made public,” the
statement said.
Also, the House of Representatives on Sunday said the issue of
the total earnings of legislators had been “over-flogged” in
Nigeria.
The Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr.
Abdulrazak Namdas, who spoke to one of our correspondents, said,
“The legislature had addressed the issue several times.”
Namdas, who spoke for the House, also declined to give what each
members of the House earned as running cost.
Prominent Nigerians and groups on Sunday took a swipe at the
National Assembly over the N13.5m running cost being paid to
senators.
The Campaign for Democracy, senior lawyers, including Mr. Femi
Falana, Mr. Yusuf Ali and Prof. Itse Sagay, in separate interviews
with The PUNCH also commended Senator Shehu Sani for the
disclosure.
Sani had, in an interview with TheNews, revealed that each
senator received N13.5m monthly as running cost apart from the
N700,000 consolidated salary and allowances paid to each of
them.
Sagay said Sani’s revelation had vindicated him on his criticism
of the lawmakers.
Sagay said. “I’ve always said they earn too much. This figure by
Sanni does not include constituency allowances, which is in
billions of naira.
“We still have budget padding from which millions are made by
them. By the time you put all that together, you can see that these
people are collecting a huge chunk of the Nigerian budget.”
The CD, in its reaction, said the N13.5m running cost could
employ over 100 graduates in the country.
The CD President, Usman Abdul, in an interview with The PUNCH,
said the huge earnings by the senators contributed to the
bastardisation of the economy.
He said, “You can take good care of over 100 graduates from a
senator’s salary. The legislature should deliberate on the abject
poverty and unemployment in the country.”
Also speaking, Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Jiti Ogunye, said Sani
must be commended for his courage.
Ogunye said, “What Senator Shehu Sani said has confirmed the
long-held fears of Nigerians that Nigerian legislators, both at the
state and national levels, have been short-changing Nigerians.
“They are not expected to use that elevated position to serve
their own interest at the expense of public interest. They are not
expected to allow their self-consideration to override their
commitment to abiding by the law.”
The Vice-President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Monday
Ubani, said Nigerians must demand a review of the lawmakers’
earnings.
Ubani, “It means that Nigerians have not been getting a fair
deal from our legislators. If a single person will be earning that
kind of money in a country where the minimum wage is N18,000;
something has to be done. We need to insist on a review of these
jumbo allowances.”
The Executive Chairman, Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open
Leadership, Mr. Debo Adeniran, said Nigerians had a right to be
displeased because they had not been getting a fair deal from the
lawmakers.
Adeniran said, “The outcry wouldn’t have been if the legislators
have been living up to the expectation of their constituents.
Nigerians don’t see the lawmakers as people who are representing
their interest.”
Falana said Sani’s revelation had proved that Nigerian
legislators were the highest paid in the world.
Falana, in a statement on Sunday, said, “Apart from the monthly
package of N13.5m, each senator is given the opportunity to execute
constituency projects to the tune of N200m per annum. However, the
disclosure made by Senator Sani does not cover the allowances for
cars, housing, wardrobe and furniture running to several millions
of naira approved for each senator.”
Also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Yusuf Ali, said the allowance
was insensitive given the state of the economy and the minimum wage
of the workers in the country.
He said, “Even if there were no mass unemployment and if the
economy were buoyant, suchallowance is totally unrelated to our
circumstances; it is very insensitive.”
The Head of Abuja office of Social Action, a non-governmental
organisation, Mrs. Vivian Bellonwu-Okafor, said the revelation was
another sad commentary in the history of political offices
emolument in Nigeria.
A former Managing Director of Unity Bank Plc, Mr Rislanudeen
Mohammed, said there was no justification for the N13.5m monthly
pay.
But the Senate said there was nothing new in what Sani said.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public
Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi-Abdullahi, in a statement said the
figures Sani disclosed were in the public domain.
“Senator Shehu Sani, on the salaries and funds for running of
offices of Senators, did not disclose anything new as the figures
he gave out about running cost of the offices of senators were
contained in various line items and expenditure heads of the budget
of the National Assembly, which has been made public,” the
statement said.
Also, the House of Representatives on Sunday said the issue of
the total earnings of legislators had been “over-flogged” in
Nigeria.
The Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr.
Abdulrazak Namdas, who spoke to one of our correspondents, said,
“The legislature had addressed the issue several times.”
Namdas, who spoke for the House, also declined to give what each
members of the House earned as running cost.
Read more https://nairalaw.com/sagay-falana-cd-flay-senate-over-n13-5m-allowance/