NM ESTIMATES THIS TOTAL SALARY & ALLOWANCES PACKAGE TO BE N6.84 billion rather than the N60 billion stated (See table below)

PUNCH

FG to spend N60bn on Senators, Reps annually

Sun Feb 17, 2008 4:04 pm (PST)

FG to spend N60bn on Senators, Reps annually
By Atser Godwin
Published: Monday, 18 Feb 2008

Annual salaries and allowances of the 469 members of the National Assembly have been increased from about N41bn to N60bn.

Details of the new pay and allowances are contained in a document by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission which was obtained by our correspondent in Abuja on Friday.

Although the document is awaiting the assent of President Umaru Yar’Adua, a source in RMAFC office said the lawmakers have started earning the new pay.

The source said that the new package was okayed by the commission three weeks ago.

Under the reviewed salary structure, the President of the Senate earns N2.48m yearly as basic pay while his deputy is entitled to N2.31m.

Each member of the Senate earns a basic salary of N2m annually.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives and his deputy receive almost the same package as the President of the Senate and the Deputy President of the Senate respectively.

Each member of the House of Representatives receives slightly less than a senator with about N1.99m as annual basic salary.

Before now, the President of the Senate and his deputy were entitled to N993,697 and N923,667 as annual basic salaries respectively.

The Speaker and the deputy were earning N990,844 and N877,987 per annum respectively.

A senator was entitled to N810,560 while a member of the House was was receiving N794,085 as annual basic salaries.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Media, Senator Ayogu Eze, confirmed that the proposal had been passed by the Senate.

“We passed it. But I don’t think the President has signed it to law,” Eze said in a telephone interview.

The new pay structure has translated to skyrocketing allowances for the lawmakers.

For instance, a Senator with an annual basic salary of N2m, now receives N4m as accommodation allowance or 200 per cent of his basic salary.

He also has a furniture allowance of N6m or 300 per cent of his basic salary.

Besides, he is entitled to a vehicle loan of N8m or 400 per cent of his annual basic salary.

A member of the House is entitled to N3.98m or 200 per cent of his or her annual basic salary as accommodation allowance. He or she also receives N5.97m or 300 per cent of the basic salary for furniture.

Each lawmaker gets N7.96m or 400 per cent of his or her annaul basic salary as vehicle loan and N1.49m as maintenance allowance for the vehicle.

The reviewed salary structure also provides that a member of the House gets N497,500 or 25 per cent of the basic salary as wardrobe allowance and another N497,500 for personal assistant.

Each member is also to receive 75 per cent (N1.49m) of his basic salary as domestic allowance.

According to the document, the domestic allowance covers the cost of maintaining four domestic staff – a steward, cook, housekeeper and a gardener - employed by the member.

Besides, he or she is entitled to entertainment and utilities allowances of N597, 000 or 30 per cent of the basic salary.

The utilities allowance is to enable the member to settle electricity, water, gas, telephone and refuse collection bills.

The documents also provide that when the House proceeds on recess, each lawmaker should be paid N199, 000 or 10 per cent of his or her basic salary.

He or she is also entitled to 15 per cent of the annual basic salary as newspapers allowance.

Except when the government provides an official car or accommodation for a particular officer, the fringe benefits — in percentages — are applicable to all the members of the legislature.

The RMAFC said that in reviewing the new package, it considered the changes in the basic fundamentals of the Nigerian economy, external reserves, Gross Domestic Product growth rate, inflation and the need to correctly place some categories of public office holders that were wrongly placed in the old package.

The commission also said it recognised the need to modify old salaries and allowances and introduce new allowances that were not included in the old package.

“The commission also considered the need for a living wage to ensure honesty and dignity of the office holders,” the document said.

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