Chairman of the Movement for Nigeria’s Total Transformation, Chief
Areoye Oyebola, has faulted the Nigerian federal lawmakers for ignoring
the widespread call for the downward review of their “monumental
salaries and allowances.”
Oyebola said the recent outburst of the federal legislators by the
Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption,
Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), was just one of many criticisms that had trailed
the lawmakers over the years but to which they had turned deaf ears.
“It is also strange, unthinkable and very disheartening that a
senator, not minding the grinding poverty of Nigerians, earns $1.7m a
year, which is far higher than the $400,000 yearly income of the United
States’ President, whose stupendous country is the richest in the world.
Even a member of the House of Representatives also earns more than the
American President. What a tragic and pathetic situation!
“Worse still, each of our National Assembly members earns more than
the British Prime Minister, while the pay of a member of Ghana’s
unicameral legislature is a very small fraction of our House of
Representatives’ member jumbo pay of more than N10m in a month, let
alone the monumental quarterly allowances that have led to serious
public outcry.
“The multi-million naira earned by the leadership of the Senate and
the House of Representatives even worse, more outrageous and
mind-boggling,” he said.
Oyebola noted that despite their modest pay, compared to the Nigerian
federal lawmakers, the legislators in Ghana worked harder and “have
minimal absenteeism,” while they had also done much to sustain their
country’s democracy, “which is a model for many African countries.”Oyebola called for a 90 per cent cut in the earnings of Nigerian
elected public officials, saying with that they would still be richer
than their counterparts in the US and the UK.
He added, “As suggested below, for the National Assembly, the
President, ministers, state governors, state legislators, chairmen of
local governments and councillors should have their pay and allowances
reduced to 10 per cent of their present earnings. If effected, each
senator’s present earnings of N15m a month will be reduced to N1.5m or
N18m a year. A similar 90 per cent reduction should be effected from the
pay of members of the House of Representatives.”