Nigerian senators’ allowances totalled N18,642,880 on annual basis.
In all, the allowance each senator receives is nine times more than his annual salary.
A senator’s salary is pegged at N2,026,400 per annum.
Each senator or a member of the House of Representatives is entitled to 19 different allowances.
These allowances are for vehicle maintenance and fuelling; domestic staff, entertainment, utilities, personal assistant, constituency, wardrobe, house maintenance, newspapers, recess, accommodation, furniture, severance, tour duty, estacode, special assistant, security, legislative aide and medical.
These allowances are specified in the Remuneration Package for Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders prepared by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission.
On an annual basis, the 107 senators receive N1,994,788,160 as allowances. Only 107 senators are eligible for these allowances. The President of the Senate and Deputy President of the Senate receive fewer allowances because most of their needs are fully provided for by the state.
For members of the House, the annual allowances payable are about eight times higher than their annual salaries.
While the annual salary of a House member is pegged at N1,985,212.50, the annual allowances add up to N15,286,135.25. This means that the 358 members of the House (excluding the speaker and the deputy speaker) get N5,472,436,419.5 annually in allowances.
The allowances, however, are in categories. Some are tagged regular while others are tagged irregular allowances.
Regular allowances are those that are paid on monthly basis along with the monthly salaries while irregular allowances are paid at other intervals, ranging from annual to once in four years.
There are also other allowances not included in this calculation that are paid not at any fixed periods but as many times as they occur in the year.
The allowances are calculated as percentages of the annual salaries. While some are higher than the annual salaries, others are lower.
Basically, both senators and Reps are paid the same percentages of their salaries as allowances, except the constituency allowance where senators are paid 250 per cent while Reps get 100 per cent of their annual salaries.
Vehicle maintenance and fuelling allowance is 75 per cent; domestic staff, 75 per cent; entertainment, 30 per cent; utilities, 30 per cent; wardrobe, 25 per cent; newspapers, 15 per cent; house maintenance, five per cent; and personal assistants, 25 per cent.
For a senator, therefore, the vehicle maintenance and fuelling allowance adds up to N1,519,800; domestic staff, N1, 519,800; entertainment, N607,920; utilities, N607,920; wardrobe, N506,600; newspapers, N303,960; house maintenance, N101,320; constituency, N5,066,000; personal assistant, N506,600.
For a member of the House of Representatives, the vehicle maintenance and fuelling allowance comes up to N1,488,909.40; domestic staff, N1,488,909.40; entertainment, N595,563.75; utilities, 595,563.75; wardrobe, N496,303.12; newspapers, N303,960; house maintenance, N99,260.62; constituency, N1,985,212.50; and personal assistant, N 496,303.12.
The irregular allowances include housing allowance, 200 per cent of the Reps annual salaries; furniture allowance, 300 per cent; recess allowance, 10 per cent and severance allowance, 300 per cent.
Housing allowance is paid once a year. Furniture allowance is paid once in four years and recess allowance is paid when the lawmakers are on recess and they go on recess four times in a year. Severance allowance is at the end of the four-year tenure.
The housing allowance of a senator is N4,053,800. The furniture allowance is N6,079,200. On annualised basis, the furniture allowance is N1,519,800. The recess allowance climbs to N810,560 if they go on recess four times a year. The severance allowance is N6,079,200. On annual basis, it comes down to N1,519,800.
For Reps, the housing allowance is N3,970,425. The furniture allowance is N5,955,637.50. Annually, the furniture allowance comes down to N1, 488,909.38. Also, recess allowance comes up to N794, 084. The severance allowance is N5,955,637.50. On annual basis, it comes down to N1,488,909.38.
There are other allowances that the lawmakers are not paid directly but provided and paid for by the government.
These are allowances for special assistants, security and legislative aides. What this means is that those engaged in these capacities are paid directly by the government as the allowances cannot be claimed by political office holders. These allowances apply to senators and Reps.
Medical expenses are also borne by the government when the lawmakers have need for the services.
The lawmakers are also entitled to tour duty allowance and estacode whenever they travel out of the country. For a senator, the tour duty allowance is N37,000 per night while the estacode is $950 per night.
For a member of the House of Representatives, the tour duty allowance is N35,000 per night while the estacode is $900 per night.
Although political office holders in the country are among the highest paid government officials in the world, our correspondent reports that the worry of many Nigerians is not what they earn officially but what accrues to them through self-appropriation and corruption.
The budget of the National Assembly is never broken into components and efforts to get them to break down the budget have not yielded the required result even after the invocation of the Freedom of Information Act.
Lawmakers are known to collect huge quarterly allocations, some of which are ostensibly designated for constituency projects. The constituency allowance is different from the constituency project fund.
Constituency allowance is paid for the maintenance of constituency office and contact while constituency project fund are appropriated to enable the lawmakers to execute projects in their constituencies. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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These figures are rather confusing! It would have been clearer if stated in words and the legal monthly emolument per lawmaker stated for better comparison. The figure Iam getting from all the above is about 1.6 million Naira per month per senator and 1.45million per reps member.If my calculation is right these amounts are not as outragious as been portrayed!
ReplyDeleteI agree. If these figures are true, then there is nothing outrageous about the emoluments. But I recall reading in the media that each Senator collects N45m every 3 months on account of the so-called Constituency Projects (as distinct from Constituency Allowance). I understand the scam is in those "Constituency Projects" where they claim to be executing projects in their constituency. The author of this article either deliberately or otherwise says nothing about this.
DeleteThe writer is very very unintelligent. This is how they write to create huge problems in this Country. It better written in words than in figures that are not justifiable in any form.
ReplyDeleteWhat they earn is high but not too high, it's what they embezzle using their office that is worrisome.thats what needs to be curbed.
ReplyDeleteThey should tell us how much they collect for "Constituency Projects" and which projects they actually execute in their constituencies. That is where the embezzlement happens.
DeleteOur lawmakers should be compensated at the same rate as teachers and civil servants. They are no more deserving than the rest of society. Tour of duty of $1,000 per day? That's why their chamber is always empty as they head to foregn countries with the promise of $1,000 each day going into their pockets. Why can't we look at how lawmakers are compensated in Ghana, Gambia, Mali, etc. Instead we want to measure ourselves by American standards even though we are a third world wretched country. Allowance for newspapers? What sort of nonsense is that? That's why everyone in nigeria wants to go into politics, because that's the only thriving industry in the country. We are to blame for our own woes.
ReplyDeletePlease tell us about the moneys they collect for "Constituency Projects", and which projects they have executed in their constituencies.
ReplyDeleteSENATOR'S PAY WORLDWIDE PER ANNUM
ReplyDelete* Bangladesh – $4,000.00
* Sri Lanka – $5,100.00
* India – $11,200.00
* Malaysia – $25,300.00
* Thailand – $43,800.00
* Spain – $43,900.00
* Ghana – $46,500.00
* Saudi Arabia – $64,000.00
* Indonesia – $65,800.00
* Kenya – $74,500.00
* France – $85,900.00
* Sweden – $99 300.00
* South Africa – $104,000.00
* Britain – $105,400.00
* New Zealand – $112,500.00
* Israel – $114,800.00
* Germany – $119,500.00
* Ireland – $120,400.00
* Hong Kong – $130,700.00
* Japan – $149,700.00
* Canada – $154 000.00
* Singapore – $154,000.00
* Brazil – $157,600.00
* United States – $174,000.00
* Italy – $182,000.00
*Nigeria - $2,183,685.00
The details of the remuneration of an
average Nigerian Senator is detailed below;
* Basic Salary (B.S) – N2,484,245.50
* Hardship Allowance (50% of B.S) – N1,242,122.70
* Constituency Allowance (200% of B.S) – N4,968,509.00
* Newspapers Allowance (50% of B.S) – N1,242,122.70
* Wardrobe Allowance (25% of B.S) – N621,061.37
* Recess Allowance (10% of B.S) – N248,424.55
* Accommodation (200% of B.S) – N4,968,509.00
* Utilities (30% of B.S) – N828,081.83
* Domestic Staff (70% of B.S) – N1,863,184.12
* Entertainment (30% of B.S) – N828,081.83
* Personal Assistants (25% of B.S) – N621,061.12
* Vehicle Maintenance Allowance (75% of B.S) – N1,863,184.12
* Leave Allowance (10% of B.S) – N248,424.55
* Severance Gratuity (300% of B.S) – N7,452,736.50
* Car Allowance (400% of B.S) – N9,936,982.00
* TOTAL MONTHLY SALARY = N29,479,749.00 ($181,974.00)
* TOTAL YEARLY SALARY = N29,479,749.00 x 12 = N353,756,988.00
The average salary of Nigerian worker based on
the national minimum wage is N18,000.00, So,
the yearly salary is N18,000.00 x 12 =
N216,000.00
Remember, Yearly Salary of Nigerian Senator =
N353,756,988.00
Proportion: N353,756,988.00/N216,000.00 = 1,638
It will take an average Nigerian worker 1,638
years to earn the yearly salary of a Nigerian
Senator.
If you read the article you should know the Senators don't earn $2m per year!
DeleteThese figures contradict what The Economist published earlier in the year. It published as follows: The details of the remuneration of an average Nigerian Senator is detailed below:
ReplyDelete* Basic Salary (B.S) - N2,484,245.50
* Hardship Allowance (50% of B.S) -
N1,242,122.70
* Constituency Allowance (200% of B.S) -N4,968,509.00
* Newspapers Allowance (50% of B.S) -N1,242,122.70
* Wardrobe Allowance (25% of B.S) -N621,061.37
* Recess Allowance (10% of B.S) - N248,424.55
* Accommodation (200% of B.S) - N4,968,509.00
* Utilities (30% of B.S) - N828,081.83
* Domestic Staff (70% of B.S) - N1,863,184.12
* Entertainment (30% of B.S) - N828,081.83
* Personal Assistants (25% of B.S) - N621,061.12
* Vehicle Maintenance Allowance (75% of B.S) -
N1,863,184.12
* Leave Allowance (10% of B.S) - N248,424.55
* Severance Gratuity (300% of B.S) -
N7,452,736.50
* Car Allowance (400% of B.S) - N9,936,982.00
* TOTAL MONTHLY SALARY = N29,479,749.00
($181,974.00)
* TOTAL YEARLY SALARY = N29,479,749.00 x 12
= N353,756,988.00 ($2,183,685.00)
* EXCHANGE RATE: $1 = N162
Which do we believe?
Thanks for pulling this out of the archives. Now I believe that the writer of the article was paid to launder the image of our legislators in the face of growing public awareness and criticism. This does not do NigerianEye any good.
Delete