THE Senate has dismissed claims that lawmakers in the Red Chamber receive N21million in salaries and allowances, as claimed by Senator Kawu Sumaila in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Hausa Service on Wednesday, August 14.
Its spokesman, Senator Yemi Adaramodu (Ekiti South), who stated this on Thursday, August 16, while responding to Sumaila’s statement, also clarified: “My monthly salary is less than N1million. After deductions, the figure comes down to a little over N600,000.
“Given the increase effected in the Senate, each senator gets N21million monthly as running cost.”
In a statement he personally signed, Adaramodu stressed that running costs are distinct from the salary and personal allowances of lawmakers, which the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission sets.
Recall that RMAFC Chairman, Mr. Mohammed Shehu, has stated that each senator receives a monthly salary and allowances totalling N1,063,860.
Adaramodu stated that running costs are not peculiar to the legislature and are used for the operation of their offices and cover expenses for constituency office staff, saying: “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.”
While expressing concern over alleged wasteful spending by the legislature, Adaramodu noted: “The Nigerian Senate is an Assembly of accomplished and successful professionals, administrators and captains of industry, who are not driven by these often touted egregious pecuniary bits, but rather by their patriotic zeal in the nation’s quest to breathe life into Nigeria’s political and socio-economic dry bones.
“For the umpteenth time, the Senate is compelled to respond to obsolete allegations of phantom salaries and personal emoluments spuriously credited to senators monthly.
“The Revenue Mobilisation 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 and even boards and parastatals, including local government councils- run their activities with running costs, and the National Assembly is no exception.
“The funds referred to by Sumaila are neither his salary nor personal allowance.
“These funds are allocated for the daily operation of senators’ offices and other statutory officials. They also provide for constituency office staff, oversight functions and community engagements.
“These funds are not static; they are provided for in the annual budget and must be retired with proof of genuine expenditure. They are not personal allowances or salaries for legislators.
“The National Assembly receives about one per cent (1%) of the federal budget and has never exceeded this, even in times of widespread financial constraints.
“The Nigerian Senate is an Assembly of accomplished professionals, administrators and industry leaders, who are motivated by patriotic zeal, not by financial gain.”
