BY DAPO AKINREFON, CHARLES KUMOLU,
GBENGA OKE & LEVINUS NWAGBUHIOGU
The Senate and the House of
Representatives, Tuesday, alleged mischief
in the report alleging that Nigeria’s federal
legislators are the highest paid in the
world. The Senate said it would not as
much as dignify the report with a response.
House members, like kettle calling pot
black, asked critics to also look at the
emoluments and corruption in the
executive arm of government which they
claimed was by far higher.
The defence of the legislators nonetheless,
civil society activists denounced the
legislators, saying they were bent on
bankrupting the country and its democracy.
The report released by The Economist of
London suggested that the lowest paid
legislator in Nigeria earns N30.6 million
($189.5,000) per annum which was put at
116 times the Gross Domestic Product,
GDP, per person.
As a ratio to GDP per person, Kenya was
second with 76 times, Ghana 30 times and
Indonesia 18 times.
Among those who reacted were former
Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Tsav,
constitutional lawyer, Itse Sagay, Afenifere,
second republic parliamentarian, Dr. Junaid
Mohammed and civil rights activist,
Bamidele Aturu.
Senate spokesman, Senator Enyinninya
Abaribe described the report as a figment
of the imagination of the authors of the
report adding “the Senate will not dignify
the false claims with a reaction.”
His counterpart in the House of
Representatives, Rep. Zakari Mohammed
said a number of the figures used as
salaries were expenditures and allowances
that were normally retired.
It’s mischief directed at us — Senators,
Reps
He told Vanguard, “this is a mere mischief
because we retire all these monies they are
not part of our salaries. Medical allowance,
furniture and the rest are monies you must
retire.
Rep. Jagaba Adams Jagaba (PDP, Kachai/
Kagarko Federal Constituency, Kaduna
State, a one time chairman of the House
committee on anti-corruption asked critics
to also look at the emoluments drawn by
those in the executive arm of government.
“No, how can we be the highest paid in the
world? Have you cared to know how much
ministers collect in Nigeria? Have you cared
to know how much their aides have been
collecting? The corruption we are talking, is
it not the executive arm that is more
involved than any other politician in the
world? You see, the truth of the matter is
that we are doing our work.
”
It’s dangerous for our democracy — Tsav
Abubakar Tsav said: “If it is true that they
have been authoritatively ranked as earning
the highest pay worldwide, then it is a
dangerous development for our
democracy. And it is capable of destroying
our democracy. That is why you find people
doing all manner of things to remain in
office. Some have even turned political
office into a do-or-die affair because of the
money being paid to them. Some of the
lawmakers have even turned themselves
into contractors. If the situation is not
corrected, people will always do anything
to remain in office.
Yes, our legislators earn more than
American president — Sagay
Prof. Itse Sagay said: “It is well established
that Nigerian legislators, at the national
level, are the highest earning legislators in
the world. That is well known. The
Senators’ take home pay is not less than
N15 million a month and in a year, it is not
less than $1.7 million.
“Whereas an American Senator earns
$144,000 a year and the English
parliamentarian is earning $100,000 a year,
while the American president earns
$400,000 a year.
“Our Senators earn far more than the
American president and everybody knows
this but nothing has been done and
nobody listens”.
Describing the situation as an aberration,
Afenifere speaking through its spokesman,
Mr. Yinka Odumakin said: “this is a classical
case of extreme inequality to the extent to
which those earning the N18,000 minimum
wage and those who are supposed to be
representing them are earning N29 million
a month, there is no where in the world
where such disparity will be allowed.
Our legislators decree salary for themselves
— Mohammed
Dr. Junaid Mohammed who served in the
second republic House of Representatives
said: “Throughout the world, salaries of
lawmakers are discussed publicly but in
Nigeria, our parliament result to what is
called Executive session and they decree a
salary for themselves”.
“The National Assembly does not care what
the economy could afford, they don’t give a
damn about the economy and what is
obtainable in the public service, all they are
interested in is the jumbo pay at the
expense of the masses. For me, this is
criminal and they are shameless”.
He went further, “Our parliament is the
laziest all over the world, they are
irresponsible and indolent with the kind
secret salaries they pay themselves. This is
an insult to Nigerians”.
“Ours is a parliament where members
decree constituency projects for
themselves, they award constituency
projects to their companies and make
corruption more popular in Nigeria”.
It’s very unfortunate — Aturu
Describing the situation as frightening,
Bamidele Aturu said: “Democracy is about
ensuring the masses enjoy dividends of
democracy, it is about developing the
country by having adequate infrastructure
but in a situation where huge money are
being filtered away and wasted on idle
legislatures who steals this countries wealth
for doing nothing, it is very unfortunate”.
“This is a wake up call on Nigerians, we
need to do something urgently about the
equitable structure of this country because
this injustice is very wicked”.
“On one hand he mentioned loans, do
loans constitute salaries too or furniture
allowance part of our salaries?. All these
things he mentioned are not part of our
salaries, we earn less than N1million Naira
monthly after a loan of N300,000.00 must
have been deducted from the car loan we
took. “
“You must retire all these money before
you quit this complex, my friend that story
was planted to implicate the National
Assembly.”

Source http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/07/outrage-greets-lawmakers-jumbo-pay/