- Says Serving Senators Earn ₦21m Monthly
By Abiola Olawale
A former federal lawmaker who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District of Kaduna State in the 8th Senate, Senator Shehu Sani, has insisted that he received a 13 millionaire monthly pay while he was in the red chamber.
Sani, who spoke with the press on Wednesday, maintained that the stance of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) that Senators earn N1 million each is not accurate.
According to him, current lawmakers of the 10th Senate purportedly earn about a whopping N21 million monthly.
Sani accused the RMAFC of being economical with the truth and failing to tell Nigerians the real details of the monthly salary of federal lawmakers.
He said: “I was a Senator, and I believe I had correct knowledge about what happened at that time, and I believe that 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 happening.
“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 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 New Diplomat reports that the issue of the amount of salary being received by federal lawmakers has taken centre stage in recent days, stirring up fresh controversies.
It would be recalled that former President Olusegun Obasanjo had on Friday in Abeokuta, Ogun State Capital while receiving in audience six members of the House of Representatives, led by Ikenga Ugochinyere, who visited him, chided the federal lawmakers for allegedly fixing their salaries and emoluments.
During the parley, Obasanjo said: “In your case, with all due respect, you’re not supposed to fix your salaries. But you decide what you pay yourself, the allowances that you give yourselves (including) newspaper allowances.”
However, the National Assembly denied the allegations, saying that they have no constitutional right to fix their salaries.
Also, the RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Shehu, in a statement isaid that each of the 109 senators in the upper chamber receives a total of N1.06m in salary and allowances per month.
