Habeeb I. Pindiga
6 July 2009
Abuja — Senators and members of the House of Representatives will walk away with N4.7 billion every year from the lean Federal treasury as basic salaries and regular allowances while many more billions will be spent on their non-regular allowances. This is according to the new, reduced remuneration packages for public officers fixed by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) in Abuja last week.
Based on the new package, each of the 107 senators (excluding the Senate President and his deputy) will collect N11 million in basic salaries and regular allowances every year while a member of the House of Representatives will get N9.9 million. Previously, a senator was getting N17 million while a House member was collecting N14.99 million.
The regular allowances are accommodation, car maintenance, domestic staff, personal assistant, entertainment, leave, utilities, newspaper/periodicals and constituency. These figures do not include non-regular allowances--vehicle loan, furniture allowance, estacode, duty tour allowance and severance gratuity--which are paid separately to each legislator as they become due.
Under the new pay package, each senator is entitled to N3 million as furniture allowance and N5 million as car loan once every four years, and is also entitled to N6 million as severance gratuity after the "successful" completion of his/her tenure. Also, a senator is also to collect N23,000 per day when on official trip as duty tour allowance, and $600 per day as estacode when on foreign trip.
A member of the House is entitled to N744,454 furniture allowance and N4.96 million car loan once every four years, while a Rep's severance package is N5.96 million, estacode, $550 and duty tour allowance, N21,000.
The new packages were prepared by RMAFC following a letter by President Umaru Yar'adua asking the commission to slash remuneration packages of political, public and judicial officers given the nation's dwindling revenues.
RMAFC chairman Hamman Tukur presented a four-volume report to the president last Thursday, containing reviewed pay packages for federal, state and local government political, public and judicial office holders.
In the report, Tukur warned all organs of government to adhere strictly to the remuneration packages, saying "no other salaries, allowances and or benefits are to be paid to any political, public and judicial office holder."
He said the Federal, State and Local Governments flout the remuneration provisions made by the commission through frivolous foreign trips, arbitrary appointment of aides and use of excessively large motorcades.
Based on the constitution, RMAFC has the final say on the remuneration package of National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly members, while a law need to be enacted based on the commission's proposals regarding the pay packages of executive and judicial office holders.
Description Senator Member, House of Reps
Basic salary/Regular allowances N11,145,200 N9,926,062
Furniture N3,039,600 N744,454
Motor Vehicle Loan N5,066,000 N4,963,031
Duty Tour Allowance N23,000 per day N21,000 per day
Estacode $600 per day $550 per day
Severance Gratuity N6,079,200 N5,955,637
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