Each Nigerian senator earns at least N21 million monthly in running costs, salaries, and allowances in a country where a worker’s minimum wage is N70,000.

The senator representing Kano South Senatorial District, Kawu Sumaila, disclosed this in an interview with BBC Hausa on Wednesday morning.

Sumaila, a member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), said his monthly salary is less than N1 million. Still, when the running cost is included, he earns at least N21 million monthly, like his colleagues.

“My monthly salary is less than N1 million. After deductions, the figure comes down to a little over N600,000.

“Given the increase effected, in the Senate, each senator gets N21 million every month as running cost,” Sumaila said.

The Senate comprises 109 members, including the Senate President, Deputy Senate, and eight principal officers.

Controversy on senators’ pay

The issue of the senators’ emoluments resurfaced recently when former President Olusegun Obasanjo accused them of fixing new salaries and allowances for themselves, contrary to the recommendation of the Revenue Mobilisation Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMAFC).

RMAFC is the body authorised by law to prepare salaries and allowances for public officers.

The former president also alleged that the senators are used to receiving incentives they were not constitutionally entitled to from the presidency.

The Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, has since denied the allegations but was silent on the total amount a senator earns monthly, including the running cost.

Shortly after, the Chairman of RMAFC, Muhammed Shehu, clarified that each senator earns N1,063,860 monthly salary and allowance.

The breakdown includes basic salary of N168,866:70; motor vehicle fuelling and maintenance allowance – N126,650; N42,216:66 for personal assistant; domestic staff – N126,650:00; entertainment – N50,660:00; utilities – N50,660; newspapers/periodicals – N25,330:00; Wardrobe allowance – N42,216,66:00; house maintenance – N8,443.33 and constituency allowance – N422,166:66; respectively.

What does the law state?

Nigerian law on salaries and allowances of public office holders covers salaries and allowances but leaves out the running cost.

The law is titled, “Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc.) (Amendments) Act, 2008”

As a result of the condition of the provision, only the National Assembly Commission would be able to determine the total amount of the running cost of each lawmaker.

Over the years, the National Assembly has not been transparent on the figure it prescribed as the running cost of each lawmaker in the two chambers – the Senate and House of Representatives.

What happened in the past

The running cost of a senator, as disclosed by Sumaila, is close to that revealed by Shehu Sani, a former senator who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District between 2015 and 2019.

Sani, in 2018, confirmed that he and his colleagues collected N13.5 million each monthly as “running cost” in addition to their N750,000 monthly consolidated salary and allowances.

When the comment attracted controversy, RMAFC could not deny it but specifically stated that only the National Assembly Service Commission could provide details of the running costs enjoyed by the senators.

PT