The allegation by Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, that a cabinet minister was using ill-gotten money to blackmail and unseat him as a Member of Parliament has, once again, raised the debate as to whether ministers of state and Members of Parliament (MPs) should be paid ex-gratia every four years.
Whereas the Chief Justice and the other Justices of the Superior Court of Judicature, Auditor-General, Chairman and Deputy Chairmen of the Electoral Commission, Commissioner for Human Rights and Administrative Justice and deputies, who are all members of the Article 71 public office holders, are paid at the end of their tenure of office, which takes years, that of ministers of state and MPs are paid ex-gratia every four years.
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