The Senate has broken its silence on the claim by Senator Kawu Sumaila (NNPP, Kano South) that each serving senator receives N21 million monthly.
In reaction to the claim, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu (APC Ekiti South), said the National Assembly receives only 1% of the federal budget.Sumaila had in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service said he receives N21 million as monthly take home in salaries and allowances.
Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Mohammed Shehu, had earlier said each senator receives a total of N1,063,860 million in salary and allowances per month.But Adaramodu said, “The National Assembly receives about 1% of the federal budget and has never exceeded this, even when the non-availability of funds is pervasive.
Adaramodu said: “For the umpteen time, the Senate is compelled to react to the obsolete allegations of a phantom salary and personal emoluments spuriously credited to Senators monthly.“The Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission, the agency of government that fixes political officials’ salaries and allowances, has duly disclosed the monthly personal take-home of Senators.“
However, all arms of Government and their personnel, Governors, Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, Directors-General, State Commissioners, even Boards and parastatals, including local government councils run their activities with running costs and the National Assembly is not an exemption.“
Thus the money referred to by Senator Kawu Sumaila is neither his salary nor personal allowance.‘It’s for the daily running of offices by Senators and other attached statutory officials.
It equally provides funds for Constituency office staff. It is also for oversight functions and community engagements.“This funds are not static and it’s provided for in the annual budget.
Such funds are retired by relevant officers after being used for official purposes and proof of genuine expenditure.It’s not a personal allowance or salary of the legislator.“
The National Assembly receives about one per cent of the federal budget and has never exceeded this, even when the non-availability of funds is pervasive.“
The Nigerian Senate is an Assembly of accomplished and successful professionals, administrators and captains of industries, who are not driven by these often touted egregious pecuniary bits, rather for their patriotic zeal in the nation’s quest to breathe life to Nigeria’s political and socio-economic dry bones.