- RMAFC Economical With The Truth- Sani Says
- Says As Senator, I Received N13m Monthly, Current Senate Receive N21m
- There’s No Need For Any Lawmaker To Deceive Nigerians
Fresh controversies have trailed the actual salary and renumeration received by the Lawmakers in the Nigerian national Assembly.
Trouble had started last week when former President Olusegun Obasanjo accused the Lawmakers of being “immoral” for determining their own salaries and allowances.
He said it is the duty of the Revenue Mobilsation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to decide what public office holders earn.
“Look at your case, with all due respect. “You are not supposed to fix your salaries or your allowances; it is supposed to be done by the RMFAC, but you decide what you pay yourselves, the allowances that you give yourselves — newspaper allowances, pant allowances — you give yourself all sorts of things. With due respect, you know it is not right.
Toeing Obasanjo’s line, a former Senator, Shehu Sani, had claimed that senators receive a monthly running cost of ₦13.5m in addition to a ₦750,000 salary.
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In an attempt to defend itself, RMAFC while giving clarification on the take-home of members of the Red Chamber on Tuesday, said each of the 109 senators gets a monthly salary of ₦1,063,860.
“This (statement) is in view of the recent statement made by Mr. Shehu Sani, a former Senator of the Federal Republic who was reported to have disclosed to the public that each Senator collects a monthly running cost of ₦13.5m in addition to the monthly ₦750, 000.00 prescribed by the Commission,” RMAFC Chairman, M.B. Shehu noted in a statement released on Tuesday.
He also detailed the senators’ earnings as follows, Basic Salary – ₦168,866.70; Motor Vehicle Fuelling and Maintenance Allowance – ₦126,650.00; Personal Assistant – ₦42,216.66; Domestic Staff – ₦126,650.00; Entertainment – ₦50,660.00; Utilities – ₦50,660.00; Newspapers/Periodicals – ₦25,330.00; Wardrobe – ₦42,216.66; House Maintenance – ₦8,443.33, and Constituency Allowance – ₦422,166.66.
Countering Adaramodu, Sani, who spoke on Channels Television’s Lunchtime Politics on Wednesday, insisted that the RMAFC is being economical with the truth.
He said, “I was a Senator and I believe I had correct knowledge about what actually happened at that time and I believe is what is happening now. Well, RMAFC was just playing with figures, they were specific in saying this is the salary of Senators and then they went on to give a breakdown of N20 million which they said was what every Senator earn in four years.
“But I think they are being economical with the truth and I think I understand their fears in terms of telling the truth when they know what is actually happening.
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“Before I came to this interview I was going through the papers and I saw a statement credited to one of the Senators from Kano, Distinguished Senator Kawu Ismaila, who confirmed what I said about Senators particularly of this set receiving up to N21 million monthly.
“During my time, I was in the Senate and I was pricked by my conscience as an activist who went to the Senate to unveil what has been made secret for over two decades.
“I believe that taxpayers and Nigerians in general have the right to know how much their legislators are earning and how much they are actually been given. I went on as a serving Senator then to disclose what I do receive monthly, what is credited into my account at that time and it was 13.5 million.”
The former lawmaker said he does not believe there is any need to deceive Nigerians or cover up anything.
He said that since legislators receive public money, it is necessary for those involved to come out and say it as it is like he did.
