Nigeria's legislators are among the highest paid in the world as in the senate, members earn a basic pay of N2,484,245.50 (£7,989.18) a month and by the time other bonuses, allowances and perks are added, their total pay package comes to N29,479,749 (£94,805) a month. Earlier this month, senators rejected a proposed 10% cut in their salaries and allowances by a 10-man ad-hoc committee which was established by senate president Senator Bukola Saraki in response to public indignation at their huge remunerations.
However, the House or Representatives appears to be adopting a more sensitive approach, as it has agreed to reduce its remunerations for the greater good of the country. Hon Mohammed Sani Zorro, the chairman of the house's ad-hoc committee on media and public affairs, said all members of the House of Representatives irrespective of party affiliations are on the same page with the president on the change agenda and ready to give him the necessary legislative backing to actualise it.
He added that the need to streamline the funding of the House’s activities in line with best practices across the world and Nigeria’s economic fortunes was the reason the reps set up the Dr Clement Nwankwo Committee. Promising Nigerians a new wave of transparency in the conduct of affairs in the House, Hon Zorro said the lawmakers will abide by whatever recommendations the Nwankwo committee makes with regards to the oversight function allowance, sitting allowances, constituency allowances and all aspects of funding.
On whether the lawmakers can take salary cut, Hon Zorro, who commended President Buhari, vice president Yemi Osinbajo and some governors, who have elected to have their salaries cut by 50%, said they are willing to toe the same path. He said that the decision of the House to review the funding of its activities was in submission to the wishes of Nigerians.
Hon Zorro said: “I am here to reveal to you that as a result of the consistent outcry by Nigerians, who have been taking critical exception to the funding of the National Assembly, the House has decided to review the holistic funding of its activities. This review will also result in right sizing the funding of the various aspects of our activities.
"We have already put a mechanism in motion to achieve that and it may also result in the drastic cut of our finances be they salaries, allowances and running cost. We are conscious of our integrity and we will lead by example."
He added that whoever is averse to the war against corruption in Nigeria is not a patriot. According to Hon Zorro, all patriotic people, whether in the National Assembly or outside of it, must support this war because of the implication of the degenerative level of corruption, which has compromised everything that Nigeria used to be.
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