Senator, Reps receive N2.81bn as severance allowance

The Federal Government is to give a whooping sum of N2.81bn  to senators and members of the House of Representatives at the end of their tenure on June 5.

Each Senator is said to be entitled to N6.93 million and a House of Rep member is entitled to N5.93m as allowances at the end of the current legistlative tenure. There seems to be no discrimination against re-elected senators or House of Representative members, hence excluding the Senate President and Deputy Senate President, the 107 Senators will recieve a total of N664.65m. The Senate President and Deputy on the other hand will recieve N7.45m and N6.93m respectively.

The House of Representatives members will receive a total of N2.13bn, excluding the Speaker and his Deputy who will receive N7.43m and N6.86m respectively. Besides this generous allowance there are other benefits that the lawmakers continue to enjoy after their tenure, there are also irregular allowances such as accommodation, furniture, annual leave, vehicle loan, duty tours, and estacode for official tour abroad as well as regular allowances like vehicle maintenance and fuelling, personal assistant, domestic staff, entertainment, utilities, constituency, wardrobe, newspapers/periodicals, and responsibility.
THE PUNCH had exclusively reported that each senator earns N15.18m in salaries and allowances monthly while each member of the House of Representatives takes home N10.59m a month. For the Senate, each senator (excluding the Senate President and his deputy) takes home about N198.54m annually (N16.64m per month). The amount includes each senator’s N45m quarterly allowance, which amounts to N180m annually for the four quarters of the year, and the official N18.54m that goes into their individual accounts annually as salaries and other emoluments.

According to the RMAFC report, every member of the House of Representatives takes home about N127.18m annually (or N10.59m per month). The amount includes N28m quarterly allowance for each member, which translates into N112m annually for the four quarters of the year. It also includes the official N15.18m annual salary and other emoluments of each member.

To keep the federal lawmakers in office for one year, the Federal Government spends a staggering N67.32bn on their salaries and other allowances. – The Punch.

Nigeria has been described as one of the most wasteful democracies in the world, to say that the allowances (not to speak yet of the salaries) received by these lawmakers whose influence and “decisions” are barely felt by the masses is stupendous is a gross understatement.

Amazingly, despite their ridiculous salaries and allowances, earlier in the year, Members of the Nigerian Senate had asked for an upward review of their basic allowance from N43Million quarterly to a staggering N100 Million each to enable them tackle perceived and real opponents ahead of the 2011 general elections (what nonsense! are they INEC?). This was soon after the increase in the allowances of members of the House of Representatives from N25 Million to almost N40 Million for the same purpose.

One has to wonder when will Nigerians (particularly the masses) start enjoying Nigeria’s money? Will 140 million Nigerians continue to suffer lack and impecuniosity while a handful (less than 1000) grab the nation’s wealth for themselves and still continually demand for more? Will Nigeria continue in her “Father Christmas” policies and ways of governance or someday wake up to the fact that her wealth is being squandered and her citizens are dying everyday due to hunger?

Obanor Chukwuwezam

6 COMMENTS

  1. Nigerians are dying of hunger,no where to sleep,sick,poor and crying,yet,nobody cares. Our leaders hav lost their conscience,bcos only people without heart can be confortable sharing such amount of money yet knowing the country’s state of penury. God,pls save nigeria Lord.

  2. I don’t know were nigeria is going 2day, bcos were nigeria is going, is only GOD dat know. Many people are dieing of hunger, no place 2live or stay, so many things are happens out here, and the people we apoint 2 help ur are theif,aim rubber, mans sluater, bad people. I pray dat the lord God almigthy wil punish them. He dat creat us all wil kill them all, non of them wil live 2 see the end of d month of june 2011 in d name of God and bcos of d poor people who are suffuring out here, AMEN,AMEN AND AMEN… In JESUS NAME…