Denying the assertion that lawmakers in the Senate receive N21m in salaries and allowances, Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu (Ekiti South) clarified this on Thursday in response to remarks made by Senator Sumaila Kawu.
Senator Kawu had stated in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation Hausa Service on Wednesday that he earns a cumulative N21m monthly in salary and allowances, emphasizing that his monthly salary is less than N1 million and after deductions, it amounts to a little over N600,000.
He further detailed, “Given the increase effected in the Senate, each Senator gets N21 million monthly as running cost.”
In a statement signed personally by Adaramodu, he highlighted that running costs are different from the salary and personal allowances of lawmakers, which are determined by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission.
Previously, RMAFC Chairman Mohammed Shehu had disclosed that each Senator receives a monthly salary and allowances totaling N1,063,860.
Adaramodu clarified that running costs are not exclusive to the legislature but are utilized for the operation of their offices, covering expenses for constituency office staff. He emphasized that these funds are utilized for official purposes and are not personal allowances or salaries of legislators.
Addressing concerns about perceived wasteful spending by the parliament, Adaramodu stated, “The Nigerian Senate is an Assembly of accomplished and successful professionals, administrators, and captains of industry, who are motivated by their patriotic zeal in the nation’s quest for progress.”
He further explained, “The funds referred to by Senator Kawu Sumaila are neither his salary nor personal allowance, but are allocated for the daily operational needs of Senators’ offices, oversight functions, and community engagements, and must be accounted for with proof of genuine expenditure.”
Highlighting that the National Assembly operates with running costs like other arms of government, Adaramodu concluded, “The Nigerian Senate is dedicated to the development of the nation and its people, guided by a sense of national duty rather than monetary incentives.”