A Nigerian senator earns far higher than United States president, whose total salary per annum is $400,000
Amid the increasing criticism of the huge salaries and allowances of Nigeria's lawmakers, a senator (name withheld) has affirmed insinuations that their earnings are indeed outrageous.
The senator, who made this disclosure to THISDAY in Abuja, said he was of the utmost belief that his salary, along with those of his colleagues, is not justifiable.
The senator, who noted that the perceived outrageous salaries by senators were unnecessary plundering of the nation's resources, said rejecting the jumbo pay would be viewed as madness having found himself within the system.
Furthermore, the senator said the jumbo pay was part of the reason National Assembly's intervention in the ongoing strike by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which did not yield any fruitful result.
According to him, even though the demands of ASUU are highly provocative, unmerited and self-centred, members of the National Assembly Education Joint Committee lacked the effrontery to confront members of the union during recent meetings with them because of the consciousness of their seeming unmerited wages.
He said: "I believe what we earn is not justifiable. That is why ASUU is making unnecessary demands. I wonder why the federal government should reach an agreement with them on such demands. These are demands that are not made by lecturers anywhere in the world. If they are asking for well equipped libraries, laboratories or more conducive learning environment, it would have been understandable. But everything is about themselves.
"How can they be asking for extra pay because they have large classes? Is it not their responsibilities to teach whether a class is large or not? And in any case, who admitted the large class? But they are making these demands just because they know what we earn," he disclosed.
Also affirming this position, Senator Sola Akinyede, in a recent interview with THISDAY, said the executive should not only be blamed for high cost of governance, noting that the legislature also contributed largely to the problem. He added that the judiciary also has its own share of the blame.
Akinyede, who represented Ekiti South senatorial district in the Senate between 2007 and 2011, said he felt guilty having benefitted from such unjustifiable pay as a senator.
"High cost of governance does not only affect the executive, it also affects the legislature and the judiciary. I think what we should do is that heads of the three organs of government at every level along with leaderships of political parties should sit down and agree on how to reduce the cost of governance.
"Honestly, l think it's unfair. I'm also guilty of it because l benefitted from it as a senator. It's unfair for us elite to arrogate so much of the country's resources to ourselves and still expect economic development," Akinyede said.
Nigerian senators' salaries have been a subject of controversy since the inception of this democratic era. With alleged N2,484,245.50 as basic salary, a senator is alleged to be cruising home with a whopping N11 million as regular salaries and allowances and N27 million as quarterly allowances besides irregular allowances such as estacodes and duty tour allowances.
It was also alleged that the entire Senate leadership comprising 10 principal officers draw N1, 024,000,000 as quarterly allowance.
It was repeatedly published in local and foreign media that a Nigerian senator earns far higher than United States president, whose total salary per annum was $400,000. The situation is also the same in House of Representatives.
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are you just knowing
ReplyDeleteNa now you know say the allocation to NASS as salary is too much. Ok please can you return some of the ones you have been paid to the Fed. government ? The answer is capital NO. Go and find out he want's to go back there. When he get's there, he will be the first to campaign for higher wages. Funny funny Nigerian politicians. God save Nigeria and Nigerians.
ReplyDeleteare you just knowing
ReplyDeleteare you just knowing
ReplyDeleteYou now guilty because you are out from the system. Why didn't you say all these before now.
ReplyDelete9JA! If U are BENEFITING from the CORRUPT SYSTEM no qualms but, when U are not BENEFITING, then the SYSTEM is ROTTEN.
ReplyDeleteE bami kigbe ole o o o... One day bushmeat go catch the hunter..
ReplyDeletePlease return some of the money you were paid as it's not justified. Let see a former lawmaker make history in this country so that those onboard and those that are yet to be there would learn. Compared to the salary of lawmakers ASSU is asking for pinot.
ReplyDeleteƱ are a big fooooooool, just listen to urself n judge wot suppose to be d penalty. Nw Ʊ know abi conscience is disturbing Ʊ, anwway Mr ex Sen. Hw many pple benefited frmm dis outrageous salary collected so far, ur girlfriends, wommanfriends, is a pity dat our so called leaders are big MORON n ANIMAL in CLOTH.
ReplyDeleteThis man must be el-rufai and ribadu famil...bcs they dont see hot cake frm federal govt they now know GEJ is not a qualified president what i know is that this country belong to everybody u can not be in govt all the time allow anoder sets to benefit.....but this country nobody want to serve they want to become oga always...thives
ReplyDeleteOmoh na story jooh....
ReplyDeleteWhy hide your identity ? Crooks!
ReplyDeleteIts unfortunate that this is what we can make of this story. Instead of seeking means of ending this day light robbery all we can say is 'and so what' may God save Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteNo body will redeem this nation except d citizens. The earlier we realise this, d better for us all
Thier final end is hell let them theif as they lyk for, non of them can live upto to 100yrs but they will stay in hell fire for eternity.
ReplyDeleteNigerians... just check out your comments. You are chopping up the guy who is trying to do the right thing. Why do we always do that? Why should he return the money? He made his salary legally; if the salary of senators is forcefully reduced now, no one will ask them to return the salary they have already been paid... but to the guy who is doing right, you are asking him to return his LEGALLY ACQUIRED salary.
ReplyDeletei hope all comments here are been forwarded to aso-rock and the national-assembly to read, because if Nigerian-eye is not forwarding all our comments...., that means we are just commenting within ourselves and it can help us...
ReplyDeleteOfficial stealing, that's what they are all doing. They will account for every kobo they have stolen. They have milked the country dry and even borrowing to satisfy their insatiable greed!
ReplyDeleteB Baba is absolutely right. Nigerians must learn to separate God from their personal responsibility. I recently went to Nigeria for a visit only to see roads at deplorable conditions. The worst part of our road networks are the streets and roads to private residence. The people of Nigeria must forcefully demand changes and stop saying "may God help this country". How much long are we going to blame God instead of taking actions to bring about change. "God will only help those who at least try to help themselves".
ReplyDeleteIs time we revolt against this thieves. Karl Max 1nc said, the poor will 1 time fight d so-caled thieves dt commits Economic rape on public funds. Lt d activist leaders in NIgeria lead and u c masses dt will follow. We can demand our rights now frm this bastards dt called dem selfs leaders. Lts go off frm d fore mindset dt they will rot in hell,they shd rot on this same soil abeg
ReplyDeleteGood one
ReplyDelete