"Nigerians think a lot of money is spent in the National Assembly, but once you step out of the National Assembly you are looking for money to even treat yourself."
Although Nigerian lawmakers are among the highest paid in the world and earn allowances far above that of most other public servants, their leader says their service is borne out of sacrifice and not for personal enrichment.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio spoke on Tuesday while paying tribute to a late senator, Caleb Zagi, during the plenary on Wednesday.
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He disagreed with the popular belief among Nigerians that members of the National Assembly live in opulence and are motivated by personal financial gain.
Mr Zagi, who represented Kaduna South Senatorial District from 2007 to 2011, reportedly struggled to afford healthcare after leaving office. He passed away on 25 June.
Mr Akpabio, while commenting on the late senator's financial capacity, stated that contrary to public belief, many Nigerjan lawmakers face financial hardship after losing elections, with some unable to afford basic medical care.
"Nigerians think a lot of money is spent in the National Assembly, but once you step out of the National Assembly you are looking for money to even treat yourself, which shows the fallacy of all the insinuations and innuendos thrown at the legislators.
"So, I think it was an eye-opener for a lot of people. Some people think that we come here to make money. They don't know that we come here to sacrifice for the growth of the nation so we can leave a better country for future generations," he said.
Senator shares similar position
Before Mr Akpabio spoke, Abia South Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe shared a similar view.
Mr Abaribe, a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), mentioned that the late Mr Zagi had to ask his former colleagues for financial help to pay his medical bills after leaving the Senate.
"There's an assumption that so much money is spent here on behalf of people. But of course, whatever you see, the day you walk out of this chamber is the day that this chamber also does not extend any benefits to you," he said.
What Messrs Akpabio and Abaribe did not say, however, is that lawmakers who fail to get reelected often become broke because they no longer have access to the huge salaries and allowances they earned as lawmakers while they still try to maintain the lifestyles they lived as lawmakers until the cash runs out.
What Nigerian senators earn
Contrary to the claims of the two lawmakers, available data and disclosures from current and former lawmakers paint a different picture of lawmakers' remuneration.
Although Nigeria's minimum wage is currently N70,000 monthly, the Revenue Mobilisation Fiscal Allocation Commission, the body authorised by law to prepare salaries and allowances for public officers, prescribed that a senator is entitled to over N1,063,860 monthly.
The monthly pay consists of a basic salary of N168,866:70, a motor vehicle fueling and maintenance allowance of N126,650:00, a personal assistant pay of N42,216:66, domestic staff pay of N126,650:00, and entertainment pay of N50,660:00.
Other benefits include: utilities N50,660:00; newspapers/periodicals N25,330:00; wardrobe allowance, N42,216,66:00; house maintenance, N8,443.33:00 and constituency allowance, N422,166:66.
Apart from these figures, lawmakers receive additional allowances for committee sittings. It is common for senators to be part of multiple committees, each with its own financial benefits. Sitting allowances are reportedly N100,000 or more per session, depending on the committee's workload.
The senators are also entitled to official cars. Not long ago, the National Assembly acquired Toyota Land Cruiser SUVs and Toyota Prado models, with prices reportedly exceeding N100 million per vehicle, for lawmakers.
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These earnings, however, pale in comparison to what the lawmakers earn as office running cost, an allowance they approved for themselves without any oversight by relevant agencies like the RMAFC.
Running costs and perks
Shehu Sani, a former senator representing Kaduna Central, once confirmed that senators receive N13.5 million monthly for running costs in addition to their monthly consolidated salary and allowances.
Kano South Senator Kawu Sumaila recently disclosed that each senator earns a minimum of N21 million monthly when salaries, allowances, and running costs are combined.
Mr Sumaila, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said his basic monthly salary is less than N1 million, but with the addition of running costs, his total monthly earnings rise to at least N21 million.
