Each Senator earns N1.1m monthly, says RMAFC

The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) yesterday laid to rest the opaqueness surrounding wages of National Assembly members when it revealed that each member of the Senate collects a total monthly salary and allowances of the sum of N1,063,860.

The breakdown of the cumulative take-home pay include basic salary of N168,866:70; motor vehicle fuelling and maintenance allowance of 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.

Chairman of RMAFC, Muhammed Bello Shehu, disclosed this in reaction to the recent controversy surrounding the actual salaries and allowances payable to members of the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Recall that former President Olusegun Obasanjo had a few days ago, alleged that the federal lawmakers determine their monthly salaries and allowances contrary to extant laws. Also, a one-time Senator of Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, had once publicly disclosed that each Senator collects a monthly running cost of N13.5 million in addition to the monthly N750,000 prescribed by the commission.

However, chairman of the commission, which is empowered by law to fix salaries and allowances of political office-holders, said some allowances are regular while others are non-regular. Regular allowances are paid regularly with basic salary while non-regular allowances are paid as and when due.

For instance, furniture allowance (N6,079,200 million) and severance gratuity (N6,079,200 million) are paid once in every tenure and vehicle allowance (N8,105,600 million) which is optional is a loan that the beneficiary must pay before leaving office.

He emphasised that except for a few political and public office holders such as the President, Vice President, Senate President, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, among others, all public and legislative officers are no longer provided with housing as was the case in the past .“The Commission also wishes to use this opportunity to state that any allegation regarding other allowance(s) being enjoyed by any political, public office holder outside those provided in the Remuneration (Amendment) Act, 2008 should be explained by the person who made the allegation.

“To avoid misinformation and misrepresentation of facts capable of misleading citizens and members of the international community, the Commission considers it most appropriate and necessary to request Nigerians and any other interested party to avail themselves of the opportunity to access the actual details of the present remuneration package for political, public and judicial office holders in Nigeria published on its website: www.rmafc.gov.ng,” he stated.

He, however, acknowledged that RMAFC does not have constitutional powers to enforce compliance with proper implementation of the official remuneration package, a lacuna he said was being addressed by the National Assembly.