By Ayo Yusuf
Exactly one month after being sworn in, members of the 10th House of Representatives are demanding more pay for themselves to cushion the effects of subsidy removal.
The members say the current economic situation in the country and the high rate of inflation justify their demand for salary upgrade.
The New Diplomat gathered that the demand follows the House plenary of July 11 when the members dissolved into an executive session to discuss the complaints of members over salaries and allowances.
The lawmakers had demanded from the Speaker, Rt. Hön. Tajudeen Abass, an explanation for the delay in the payment of their salaries and allowances, which had made a number of them to resort to loans.
According to a source who desired to remain anonymous however, “The talk was mainly about pay increase. Nobody talked about any money or whether we have been paid or not.”
The source said their request was made in consideration of the current economic reality following the hardships and inflation occasioned by the subsidy removal.
However, sources confirmed that while the members were vociferous in their request for more pay, the speaker was firm in his response, briefing them about the modalities for such an increase and how it is difficult to review salaries and allowances when no money has been budgeted for them.
The members left the executive session without having any concrete assurance that their demand would be met since that request was not captured in the 2023 budget.
It would be recalled that the agency that decides the salaries and allowances of public officials, the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, had recently proposed a 100 per cent increase in the salaries of public officials but the request is yet to be approved by the president.
Nigerians have been very critical of the proposal who condemned the idea that at a time when Nigerians are suffering the effects of subsidy removal and high inflation the government was planning to increase the pay of people who already spend a great deal of money on themselves.
Nigerian federal lawmakers are already among the highest paid in the world with a monthly bigger than that of their counterparts in the British or American parliaments.
Their exact salaries are shrouded in mystery as they have continued to keep details of their emoluments secret, but in 2018 a former senator representing Kaduna Central district, Shehu Sani, disclosed that Nigerian senators were entitled to monthly expenses of N13.5 million, in addition to their monthly salaries of more than N720,000.
Meanwhile, to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal, the House of Representatives Wednesday received a communication from President Bola Tinubu seeking an amendment to the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act.
The amendment is to accommodate N500 billion for the provision of palliatives for Nigerians.
In the letter read by the speaker, Mr Tinubu said the request was necessary to enable the government provide palliatives for Nigerians to cushion the effects of the removal of fuel subsidy.
The removal of subsidy on petrol had seen the price rise by almost 200 per cent, leading to threats of strike by various workers’ unions who have demanded a commensurate increase in the minimum wage of workers.
