After many years of confusion and figure fixings, salaries and emoluments of federal lawmakers were revealed to the public Monday in Abuja by no less a person than the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan.
This is as he said President Muhammadu Buhari has surpassed his predecessors on bill’s assent.
Making submissions to these effect in a paper presented at the First Distinguished Parliamentarians Lecture Series organised by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), the Lawan said monthly salary of a Senator is N1.5million while that of a member of House of Representatives is N1.3million.
He said the N13million thrown into the public space few years back as monthly salary of a Senator was quarterly office running allowance.
“The total salary of a member of the Senate is about N1.5million and that of the House of Representatives is about N1.3million.
“The quarterly office allowance for legislators is what is erroneously conflated with a monthly income to create confusion and mislead the Nigerian people.
“The average office running cost for a Senator is about N13million while that of a member of the House of Representatives is N8million,” he said.
Arithmetically, N13million office running cost for a Senator amounts to N52million a year while the N8million for a member of the House of Representatives, amounts to N32million in a year.
But the Lawan in the lecture titled: ” The Legislature, Legislative Mandate and People – The Reality and the Public Perception”, said N13million and N8million quarterly office running cost for a member of the Senate and House of Representatives respectively, are the lowest of any presidential democracy in the world.
The allowances as enumerated by him , cover costs of local / international travel, consulting of professional services, medical services, office stationeries / computers, consumables, books, newspapers, magazines, maintenance of motor vehicles and office equipment etc.
On legislative template, Lawan in his presentation, said President Muhammadu Buhari has surpassed all his predecessors on bills assent with 84 already assented to , by him which is higher than bills assented to by any of his predecessors .
” President Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua ( 2007 – 2010) , gave 38 bills Presidential Assents , Good luck Jonathan ( 2010- 2015) , assented to 40 bills while President Muhammadu Buhari had assented to 84 bills within the last two and half years in office”, he said .
Also the 9th National Assembly has within the last two and half years of its existence, initiated a total of 2,500 bills which are in different stages of legislative procedures some of which have been passed and assented to , by President Buhari.
The feats Lawan explained, were attained as result of harmonious working relationship between the legislative and executive arms government.
“A significant increase is reflected in the number of bills assented to by the president in the current dispensation, so it is with number of bills initiated and considered by the 9th National Assembly which as at November 2021, hit the figure of 2,500.
” These are obviously gains of the harmonious working relationship existing between the legislature and the executive since 2019 which however making some Nigerians tag the National Assembly as rubber stamp.
” The 9th National Assembly is not a rubber stamp parliament but one geared towards ensuring that the required synergy exists between the legislature and the executive for good governance in Nigeria “, he stated.
In his welcome address, the director general of NILDS, Professor Abubakar Sulaiman , said the lecture series is conceptualised by the institute as veritable platform of addressing contemporary issues in the country and deepening the practice of democracy.
