Initiator and Chairman, Movement for Nigeria’s Total Transformation, Chief Areoye Oyebola, has said it is sad that lawmakers have refused to heed to calls for a downward review of their salaries and allowances.

Background:

• There had been calls for senators and members of the House of Representatives to reduce their salaries and allowances.
• Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN) had recently made the call, stating that senators earn N29 million monthly.

What Oyebola said:

Oyebola said;

• A Nigerian senator earns $1.7m annually while the President of the United States earns $400,000 yearly income.
• He also stated that the UK Prime Minister and Ghanaian lawmakers earn less than a Nigerian lawmaker.

He said, “It is also strange, unthinkable and very disheartening that a senator, not minding the grinding poverty of Nigerians, earns $1.7m a year, which is far higher than the $400,000 yearly income of the United States’ President, whose stupendous country is the richest in the world. Even a member of the House of Representatives also earns more than the American President. What a tragic and pathetic situation!

“Worse still, each of our National Assembly members earns more than the British Prime Minister, while the pay of a member of Ghana’s unicameral legislature is a very small fraction of our House of Representatives’ member jumbo pay of more than N10m in a month, let alone the monumental quarterly allowances that have led to serious public outcry.

“The multi-million naira earned by the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives even worse, more outrageous and mind-boggling.”

He called for a 90 per cent cut in the earnings of Nigerian elected public officials.

He said, “As suggested below, for the National Assembly, the President, ministers, state governors, state legislators, chairmen of local governments and councillors should have their pay and allowances reduced to 10 per cent of their present earnings. If effected, each senator’s present earnings of N15m a month will be reduced to N1.5m or N18m a year. A similar 90 per cent reduction should be effected from the pay of members of the House of Representatives.”

Azeez