Lawmakers’ salaries too small to take them home, Deputy Speaker Kalu says amid rising hardship
As protests against economic hardship rock major cities across Nigeria, with many clamouring for cuts in governance costs, House of Representatives Deputy speaker Benjamin Kalu says lawmakers’ salaries are too small for their job.
“Talking about the salaries of the National Assembly, it is a far cry from what it is supposed to be,” Mr Kalu said in an interview with Channels TV on Monday night.
“At the moment, talking about the salary of the National Assembly. I have said this over and again: it is not as much as people think. Salary is different from allowance, which is meant to do the jobs our constituents have sent us to do,” he added.
Mr Kalu said considering prevailing inflation and rising cost of living, lawmakers’ salaries can no longer take them home or help them deliver their constitutional role.
“I can assure you that based on economic indices at the moment, inflation rate and the rest of them, the amount members of the National Assembly receive cannot actually take them home to do their jobs in their various constituencies.
“Considering the cost of transport, running constituency offices and the number of maintaining aides who are supposed to have you achieve what the mandate of that office demands, it is not a discussion that will add value to the crisis we are faced with,” Mr Kalu said.
Salaries and allowances earned by Nigerian National Assembly members have remained opaque to the public.
In 2018, former Senator Shehu Sani revealed that besides N750,000 salaries, he and other lawmakers receive N13.5 million monthly running costs, sparking public outrage.
Explaining why he revealed the jumbo pay lawmakers earn in an interview with BBC, Mr Sani said, “The National Assembly is one of the most non-transparent organs of government. It pricked my conscience, and I decided to burst the bubble and open the National Assembly to public scrutiny.
“If the expenses payment system were ended, then parliament would only be attractive to people who contribute ideas.”
Since Mr Sani’s statement, clamour for lawmakers’ salaries review has intensified, with many Nigerians calling for a reduction of their salaries and allowances.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
States
Independence: NBA urges Nigerians to expect better future
The NBA said that ordinary Nigerians should be deriving benefit from the subsidy removal rather than hardship.
Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
Rights
Over 400 hungry Osun kings, chiefs beg Gov Adeleke to pay their seven months’ salaries
“Governor Ademola Adeleke, we the kings are hungry. You are starving us, the kings and also the chiefs. Pay us our salaries; you have not paid us for seven months,” he said.
Education
NUC lauds LASU for library, infrastructure upgrade
The National Universities Commission accreditation teams commended Lagos State University for its library and infrastructure.
World
COP31: UN chief urges faster transition away from fossil fuels
Mr Guterres is in Antalya, Türkiye, attending the 31st U.N. Climate Change Conference, COP 31, which opened on Monday.
Health
WHO study exposes Africa’s weak death-recording system
Multiple African nations lack the capacity to efficiently record deaths, establish their causes and analyse health data, a study by the World Health Organisation has found.
States
Kano waste board welcomes reintroduction of sanitary inspectors
REMASAB said restoring sanitary inspection is a significant step toward improving environmental sanitation and protecting public health.
Showbiz
Prison Break, Bourne Legacy actor Stacy Keach dies at 85
Actor Stacy Keach, best known for his role in the TV series ‘Prison Break’ and the film ‘The Bourne Legacy’, died on Tuesday at his family home in Magdalenka, Poland.
