President Muhammadu Buhari has been told to block all illegal payments received by federal lawmakers.
Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana made the call in reaction to an expose by Shehu Sani, the senator representing Kaduna Central that he and his colleagues receive N13.5 million monthly as “running cost”, aside a N750, 000 monthly consolidated salary and allowances.
Falana in a statement yesterday said the emoluments of the lawmakers goes beyond what was declared by the senator.
“Apart from the monthly package of N13.8 million, each senator is given the opportunity to execute constituency projects to the tune of N200 million per annum. However, the disclosure made by Senator Sani does not cover the allowances for cars, housing, wardrobe, furniture etc running to several millions of Naira approved for each senator.
“Last year, the legislators also illegally purchased exotic cars of N4.7 billion for themselves when workers were owed arrears of salaries and the masses were groaning under a recession caused by the profligacy and mismanagement of the national economy by the ruling class.”
While thanking Sani for the revelation, he said the exposure confirms a statement by the chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council (PAC), Itse Sagay, that Nigerian legislators were the highest paid in the world.
He blamed the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFAC) for condoning such payments without questioning since 1999.
He tasked the Buhari administration to ensure that no public office holder is paid unapproved salaries and allowances.
“The Buhari administration owes the nation a duty to ensure that no political officer is paid salaries and allowances that have not been approved by the Revenue Mobilization. Allocation Fiscal Commission. The federal government should, as a matter of urgency, halt the payment of double salary and allowances to a number of legislators and ministers.”
-Sun