Members during plenary at the floor of the Nigeria House of Representatives


The House of Representatives said on Wednesday that complaints about the jumbo pay of Senators and members of the House should be referred to the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, which fixed the salaries and allowances of lawmakers.

The House noted that the lawmakers’ wage was computed by RMAFC after it considered several factors and took a decision on what should be the pay package, based on the powers conferred on it by law.

Deputy House Majority Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor, who spoke on the controversial huge pay of federal legislators said members were always amazed whenever critics attacked lawmakers over the pay package as if they fixed their own wage.

“We are tired of responding to the same issue every time; our explanations seem to be falling on deaf ears.

“We didn’t fix our salaries and allowances; that is the role of RMAFC. If you think that our salaries and allowances are too much, ask the agency to slash what they recommended,” Ogor said.

The pay of lawmakers generated public discourse again following Monday’s statement by a former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, who said that the country had spent over N1.1tn on their upkeep since 2005.

Only recently, an analysis by The Economist rated Nigerian legislators the highest paid in the world, dwarfing countries like Japan, USA, Britain, Kenya and Ghana.

For example, a member of the House takes a monthly salary of between N900, 000 and N1.1m, besides a quarterly allowance of between N27.9m and N33m.

In addition, legislators receive car and furniture replacement loans and allowances every four years.

Ezekwesili had spoken at a one-day dialogue on the “cost of governance in Nigeria.”

As a way of cutting cost, many Nigerians have called for a part-time legislature, as against the current practice whereby the 360 members of the House and 109 senators sit full time.

They are paid on a monthly basis, whether they work or not.

But Ogor said that attacking the legislature “all the time” was an attempt to cripple democracy, adding that a part-time legislature would not work in the presidential system practiced by Nigeria.

According to him, a part-time legislature will promote dictatorship and allow the executive arm of government to operate without “proper checks.”

He said, “It is either we want to practice democracy or we do not. There is no presidential system of government anywhere where you reduce the legislature to part-time and expect to get results.

“The idea of the legislature is to enhance checks and balances, which is not possible when the legislature is not fully functional.

“We are there to act as a check on the excesses of the executive on a regular basis; that is the meaning of oversight as a legislative duty.”

The Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, also opposed part-time legislature as a solution to the high cost of governance.

He observed that since 2011, the National Assembly’s budget had remained at N150bn to run the bureaucracy, maintain the lawmakers and service the National Assembly Commission.

Mohammed pointed to the executive where he said the lion’s share of public budget was spent annually but to which “people turn a blind eye.”

He said, “Part-time legislature does not address the cost of governance. People should appreciate what the legislature represents as an institution of democracy, not just salaries and allowances.

“Even in America, where we borrowed our presidential model, they don’t practise part-time legislature there.

“When the legislature is not fully functional, what you are asking for is dictatorship.”

However, the Minority Leader, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, told The PUNCH that he would support part-time legislature if it was the only solution to Nigeria’s problems.

“If part-time legislature is the panacea or antidote and solution to our many problems in this country I am all for it,” he said.

But, he faulted Ezekwesili on her position that government was spending too much money on the legislature.

He said, “I think we should be objective and not being dramatic about this obviously sensitive matter.

“From my simple mathematics, if you divide 1tn over an 8-year period, you get an average of a little over 100bn per year.

“Now, this is for a whole and distinct arm of government and covers salaries, other recurrent and overheads for both Houses, the National Assembly Commission, staff, capital projects and overheads.”

Gbajabiamila’s comment was contained in an email he sent to our correspondent on Wednesday.


http://www.punchng.com/news/ask-rmafc-to-slash-our-wages-reps/

Fools sitting togeda to deciv who........if we follow all dis rubbish talks everyday we all gonna stay trippin all our life

We won't be bothered about what they receive if they are INDEED doing their work!

Some wouldn't even talk for 4 years, then why are you there?

Do something, live up to expectation!

We dey complain cos it seems to us that we are JUST wasting money on you for doing NATHING!

To whom much is given, much is...

ayobase: We won't be bothered about what they receive if they are INDEED doing their work!

Some wouldn't even talk for 4 years, then why are you there?

Do something, live up to expectation!

We dey complain cos it seems to us that we are JUST wasting money on you for doing NATHING!

Still there pay should be cut to fit the country's present situation. One group can't be living like kings and other groups eating sand and garri

We're tired of their lame excuses and excesses, there is no justification for their bogus pay. The other
day, one of the Reps member was quoted as saying that his constituents are always demanding for help whenever
they want to get married and so on, what an excuse!

ayobase: We won't be bothered about what they receive if they are INDEED doing their work!

Some wouldn't even talk for 4 years, then why are you there?

Do something, live up to expectation!

We dey complain cos it seems to us that we are JUST wasting money on you for doing NATHING!

You can imagine, where the minimum wage is #18,000, God help us.

drnoel:
Still there pay should be cut to fit the country's present situation. One group can't be living like kings and other groups eating sand and garri

If they are really sincere about wanting their pay to be slashed,they should be at the forefront in telling the Revenue Mobilization Commission to slash their salaries. Let them stop being hypocrites for once! It's obvious that they like their pay and are still hungry for more and so,wouldn't do anything to ensure that their salaries are slashed.

Fools . . . Who appointed the so called "RMAFC" chieftains ? Who used favouritism and ethnicity to put them there in other to manipulate their cognitive thinking to be beneficial to your pockets? Nigeria is in dire needs of funds to fund the military operations and you dullards are squandering the nations treasury in paris,dubai and shanghai!

Bunch of thiefs,like d post if u agree jor,d ammount of likes depends on d ammount of blessing u get jor(amen)

They are the pillars upon which democracy lies.. So they really deserve it...

Kakistomoboplutocracy! for this country

yusubrahim: They are the pillars upon which democracy lies.. So they really deserve it...

SMH, you deserve the kind of leaders you get.

Car and furniture allowance loans,I pray say dem dey pay d country back oooo.wonder wat they even need it for sef after collecting almost 30m every quarter nd salary of ant 1m every mth.

They are getting bogus pay..while we sit at home waiting for ASUU to suspended their strike... smh

Criminals

That's what I call Kakistomoboplutocracy

Hypocrites

Abeg no slash anything o..

Wait! Make i come chop my own first.

WE THE MASSES ARE TO BLAME. NA WE DEY ALLOW DIS NONSENSE. SINGING MY SONG. MUMU*MUMU... 200 MILLION MUMU

yusubrahim: They are the pillars upon which democracy lies.. So they really deserve it...

this country problem serious pass as we think o

The largest association of criminals in the world!

Bunch of unrepentant thieves...as if they wuldnt av bin throwin chairs n bomb on RMAFC if d reverse ad bin d case.

I wonder what the think of the masses that we are bunch of idiots! I just can't understand why a senator of a third world country should earn more than a senator from a developed country,it just beats me. Is like you telling me that a bricklayer that builds a mud house for someone in the village should earn more than a bricklayer that builds a duplex for someone in Banana island does it scan??at all?? and the minister of finance keeps telling us we are broke!!! . I just wish u could do somethings I have in mind this country for don well but who in the right position will bell the cat?

yusubrahim: They are the pillars upon which democracy lies.. So they really deserve it...

Is ur fada 1 of dem?

Una papa! We hv many Nigerians who hardly feed thrice a week n millions of unemployed graduate, una dey here dey yarn NONSENSE

ayobase: We won't be bothered about what they receive if they are INDEED doing their work!

Some wouldn't even talk for 4 years, then why are you there?

Do something, live up to expectation!

We dey complain cos it seems to us that we are JUST wasting money on you for doing NATHING!

Whether they do their work or not, we should be bothered about what they are paid. What percentage of the country's population do they represent? In what way is their service to the country more important than the service of school teachers?

Nonsense!!!
As if no be their fellow thieves and brothers in criminality dey head the RMAFC...
..
All izz well!

Abeg they should slash their money and give it to ASUU

See allowance evry quarter 4 God's sake.
bsides d talkin, sleepin, quarellin and several unneccessary special sittin n committees allowance.

Only God can help dis country......

hmm,1:1m jst 4 a mont,even som1 dat works 24 hrs dont get 20k a mont:God jst dstroy ds nation it has been poluted a lot,d onli way 4 d poor 2 get 2 d top is by crook of wich u kik against