By Nathaniel Zaccheaus, Abuja
The Senate yesterday offered a fresh explanation on the claim of the Senator representing Kano South, Sumaila Kawu, who said he earns a cumulative N21m monthly as salary and allowances.
Kawu had in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service on Wednesday claimed that his “monthly salary is less than N1m.”
“After deductions, the figure comes down to a little over N600,000,” he said.
The Kano South Senator, however, added that: “Given the increase effected, in the Senate, each Senator gets N21m every month as running cost.”
But the Senator representing Ekiti South and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu, in a statement yesterday maintained that running cost was quite different from the salary and personal allowances of the lawmakers.
He noted that it has been fixed by the statutory agency empowered to fix the salary and allowances of those in elective offices, the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).
The Chairman of RMAFC, Muhammed Bello, had on Tuesday, revealed that each Senator collects a monthly salary and allowances of the sum of N1,063,860:00.
Adaramodu who submitted that running costs were not peculiar to the legislature for running of their offices further clarified that “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.”
Adaramodu also added that such funds were also used for Constituency office staff.
The Senate spokesman expressed strong reservations over the narrative of wasteful spending by the Parliament and declared that “the Senate is an Assembly of accomplished and successful professionals, administrators and captains of industries”
He said, “They 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.”
His statement further read, “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 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.
“These 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, but rather for their patriotic zeal in the nation’s quest to breathe life to Nigeria’s political and socio-economic dry bones.”
