Senator Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports, has disclosed that he receives a monthly allowance of N21 million, apart from his monthly salary of about N1 million.
This revelation comes just days after former President Olusegun Obasanjo accused members of the National Assembly of fixing salaries and allowances for themselves in contravention of extant laws.
Senator Sumaila made the disclosure while speaking to the BBC Hausa Service, stating that his monthly salary was fixed by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). According to the Senator, his monthly salary is less than N1 million, with deductions bringing it down to around N600,000.
This revelation is in stark contrast to the figures revealed by RMAFC, which stated that each member of the Senate collects a total monthly salary and allowances of N1,063,860. The breakdown includes basic salary, motor vehicle fuelling and maintenance allowance, personal assistant, domestic staff, entertainment, utilities, newspapers/periodicals, wardrobe allowance, house maintenance, and constituency allowance.
The RMAFC Chairman, Muhammed Bello Shehu, had earlier disclosed that some allowances are regular while others are non-regular. Regular allowances are paid regularly with a basic salary while non-regular allowances are paid as of when due. The Commission also stated that except for a few political and public office holders, all public and legislative officers are no longer provided with housing as was the case in the past.
The controversy surrounding the salaries and allowances of lawmakers has sparked heated debate in recent days. Senator Sumaila’s revelation has added fuel to the fire, with many calling for transparency and accountability in the way public funds are managed.
The National Assembly has been accused of fixing salaries and allowances for themselves in contravention of extant laws. Senator Sumaila’s disclosure has raised questions about the true extent of the salaries and allowances received by lawmakers.
In a related development, Senator Shehu Sani had earlier publicly disclosed that each Senator collects monthly running cost of N13.5 million in addition to the monthly N750,000 prescribed by RMAFC.
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