BREAKING NEWS
Senator Shehu Reveals Senators Monthly Salaries, Kicks Against Allowances
Senator Shehu Sani, representing Kaduna Central
Senatorial District in the National Assembly has revealed amount he and his
colleagues receive monthly as running cost.
Sani confirmed in a statement that Nigerian Senators
are earning N13.5 million monthly as running cost.
The lawmaker said the running cost was in addition
to the over N750,000 monthly consolidated salary and allowances of each member
of the Senate.
He, however, kicked against payment of allowances,
saying Senators should be paid just salaries.
The statement reads, “I think what we can say is
that the running cost of a senator is N13.5 million every month.
“Though no specific instruction on what the fund
should be used for, lawmakers must provide receipts to back up their expenses
from the running costs.
“The running cost is in addition to funds earmarked
for each senator for constituency projects.
“But what I am saying is that money (N13.5 million
per month) must be receipted for what you do with it. But what you are given to
go and spend without any accountability is N750,000.00. The constituency
project itself is given on a zonal basis and almost every Senator will go with
a constituency fund of about N200 million, but it is not the cash that is given
to you. You will be told that you have N200 million with an agency of
government for which you will now submit projects equivalent to that amount.
And it is that agency of government that will go and do those projects for you.
“Now, the corruption comes when the projects are not
done and the money is taken. But right now, it is difficult to do that because
NGOs and transparency groups have come into it.
“They track every allocation made to you and where
they are being used. So, it’s becoming difficult for what used to happen in the
past to happen now. But I can tell you that I would love a situation where we
do away with running costs, constituency projects and leaves senators and
members of House of Reps with salaries.
“And also, the public should be informed that nobody
should come to any senator’s house asking for any kobo. That also would be
helpful. There are issues that we need to understand. First, I don’t believe
that members of the National or even state assemblies should be involved in
carrying out what is called constituency projects”.
“When people are elected into the National Assembly,
they should just be involved in law making, raising motions, bills and also
performing oversight functions. But we live in a society where people cannot
differentiate between the legislators and the executive. “When the people come
to you, they want you to build roads, dig boreholes, build hospitals, schools,
give money, pay school fees for them. Now, if we have a society in which people
will stop asking legislators to do those things, then there is no need (for the
allowances) But funny enough, if you are very active in the National Assembly
in making laws and you don’t embark on projects in your constituency, you
cannot in any way be appreciated by the people you are there to serve because
the electorates in United States are different from the electorates in the
United States and Africa.
“We live in an underdeveloped society with a lot of
poverty, misery and wants. What people want is for you to address those basic
fundamental issues that affects their lives. If we can be done with that, it
would be okay. Now, you are talking of bogus salaries and bogus allowances –
there are three steps you need to consider the first has to do with the fact
when you represent the people, expectations arose from your immediate and the
larger constituencies. But I agree with you that the salaries and allowances of
lawmakers should not be discreet, but what is discreet about it when you can
write to Resource and Fiscal Mobilization Commission to get everything about
what a senator earns? The only money you are not expected to account for is
your salary and the salary of a senator is about N750, 000.00 per month. The
other one, the running cost of office must be accounted for. You must provide a
receipt for every expense you make.”
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