ABUJA, Federal Republic of Nigeria. Senate President Bukola Saraki. Wednesday, met with officials of Revenue Mobilisation Allocation Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to ascertain the exact cost of wardrobe allowance for lawmakers and how to effect a cut in lawmakers’ allowances.
Saraki, who made this disclosure known on his tweeter handle, said the commission would publish the earnings of lawmakers and simultaneously reduce the allowances in conformity with economic reality.
“RMAFC yesterday was in my office to clarify that wardrobe allowance is N506,600 per senator. I have just been informed that RMFAC will be publishing details of allowance on their website.
“With the current challenge we are facing as a nation, RMFAC will be reviewing allowance s to reflect the current economic trend. Fixing remuneration is the sole responsibility of RMFAC,” Saraki said.
A statement issued later by his media aides said the commission’s chairman, Mr. Elias Mbam, said wardrobe allowances as published in some media platforms were exaggerated.
The chairman also disclosed that the 2008 Remuneration Act was currently being reviewed.
“Furthermore sir, sometime last week, but there was a publication that we have reviewed the 2008 Remuneration Act and went further to outline the entitlements of each public officer, please that is not from the commission.
“The commission is currently reviewing the 2008 Remuneration Act and hopefully we expect it will be ready by the end of the third quarter and once we are ready, we will make it public and of course present it to the National Assembly,” he said.
In reaction, Saraki said: “I want to commend your initiative, frankness and also being able to educate the public because I am sure, for the last 48 hours, some of these stories being dished out in the media have given concern to Nigerians and given the wrong impression and you can see that some of these are all fairy tale rather than reality. So, I am happy that you have come to clear that.”
Saraki also warned government agencies against failure to remit revenues to the federation account, saying government would no longer condone such act.
“Monetary revenue and allocation is a serious challenge to our economy. Though, diversification of economy is very important but it is not an overnight issue. We must block every leakage in government revenue.
“We made campaign promises to Nigerians and we must fulfil all our pledges. It cannot be business as usual. We will do everything within our capacity to elevate the living standard of Nigerians,” he said.
This came as some civil groups yesterday stormed the National Assembly to protest over N8.64 billion miscellaneous allowances meant to be paid to lawmakers next week.
The protesters called on President Muhammadu Buhari to look into the issue in the interest of Nigerians.
The groups on the aegis of Voice of the Voiceless-Home Best, marched into the premises with the intention to meet principal officials of the National Assembly.
The groups said they were unhappy over the huge sums of money to be paid to legislators as allowances and demanded a review of outrageous and needless allowances.
The group’s leader, Comrade Oliver Ezeala, accused Nigerian lawmakers of insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians as was evident in the huge sum of money they earn as allowances.
Ezeala threatened that they would continue to mobilise against such development until the trend is addressed.
He said: “We are not happy today and that is why we are protesting against the lawmakers who are to be paid N9 billion for being elected as legislators. The government cannot do such a thing and so we have resolved to resist it to the last.
“If you paid lawmakers such kinds of money and you have millions of Nigerian youths who are jobless and cannot even afford a meal, will someone tell me that such is a good thing to do?
“This is the reason we are appealing to President Buhari to intervene in the interest of Nigeria by cutting the huge sum reserved for the National Assembly members to purchase cloths.
“We do not know whether there are similarities between lawmaking and code of dressing. We elected them to make laws for us and not to do fashion parade,” he said.
Credit: ThisDay
