While Nigerians are not yet done with the debate on the salaries of lawmakers in the national assembly, House of Representatives, Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, said wages of elected members is not enough to do their jobs.
Hon. Kalu who was speaking Monday night on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ said Nigerians should understand the predicament of the Lawmakers adding that calls for a reduction of their salary by half will not help matters.
“At the moment, talking about the salary of the National Assembly. I have said this over and over again, it is not as much as people think. Salary is different from allowance, which is meant to do the jobs our constituents have sent us to do.
“Nobody is allowed to touch allowances. It is the salary that belongs to you. Allowances have no subheadings for which they are made for. If you use it wrongly, when you are retiring it, you will be sanctioned for that.
“So talking about the salaries of the National Assembly, it is a far cry from what it is supposed to be. And I can assure you that even if we reduce it by 50 per cent or 80 per cent, it will not really impact what the Nigerian lawmakers should be earning, which does not go in tandem with the economic situation of the country.
“I can assure you that based on economic indices at the moment, inflation rate and the rest of them, the amount members of the National Assembly receive cannot actually take them home to do their jobs in their various constituencies.
“Considering the cost of transport, running constituency offices and the number of maintaining aides who are supposed to have you achieve what the mandate of that office demands, it is not a discussion that will add value to the crisis we are faced with.
“But I can assure you they will be willing to adjust. If that is what will move Nigeria to the next level, why not? After all, we did not send ourselves there. We were voted in by the constituents.”
The monthly salary of a Senator is N1. 5 million and that of the House of Representatives members is N1. 3 million. While each National Assembly member receives a quarterly office running cost allowance of ₦13 million. Nigerians over the years have questioned the salaries and allowances paid the national assembly members since 2010 over N150 billion have been budgeted for the running of the lawmakers’ stay in Abuja in the name of public service.
