A Lawmaker who represented Taraba North Senatorial District in the Senate between 1999 – 2003, Bala A. Adamu, has said it is difficult for him to reconcile the jumbo pay for legislators.
He said that lawmakers who served between 1999 to 2003 made a lot of sacrifices for the nation even though they were not understood.
Senator Adamu said this when he led a delegation of the Vanguard of Democracy and the Partnership to Engage Reform and Learning (PERL) to the Nigeria Union of Journalists for advocacy on bills that would advance Nigeria.
He maintained that the early legislators in the 4th Republic were prudent and patriotic only to become Guinea pigs of legislative jumbo pay.
His words: “We came in 1999 institutions were all new. After the military interregnum, they return to democracy. So the newly elected National Assembly was in place. The President, Olusegun Obasanjo was in place with the Vice President and the judiciary.
“When we came, the revenue mobilisation and fiscal commission were not constituted. So we were being paid a salary of 14,950 Naira, as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
“There were no real allowances at that time. We were allowed some staffs, 11 per senator for our constituency, office, as well as the office in the National Assembly, they were obviously paid less.
“They were remunerated by the government, lesser than what definitively
“The interesting thing is when it came to accommodation, the civil servants that we met on the ground, particularly, FCDA recommended a N12 million budget to furnish the senator’s house.
“When they brought this before us we felt that the prudent mind said that the Senator should begin in just N3.5 from that estimate, and let us go to the market and buy the furniture ourselves.”
Unfortunately, because of poor communications, it was Adams Oshiomhole who was president of NLC who mobilized the NLC to say that we are brought in corruption and that they come with brooms to sweep us out; to sweep the corruption in the National Assembly.
The former Chairman of Senate committees on Special Duties and Senate Services Committee stated that the crop of lawmakers of that period were true to true to their jobs of driving forward Democracy.
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“So this was the kind of lack of communication and appreciation of the sacrifices. That’s why I said we were the guinea pigs. We pave the way and then subsequent assemblies, you know, developed from where we started.
He said the amount was increased for the lawmakers by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) in the second year which lasted their tenure.
He said the salary was raised to about N2m annually.
“Yes, the second year, the third year, there was a slight difference because, at that time, the revenue mobilisation and fiscal commission were in place. So they designed what was due to us and the salary of a senator rose to about nearly 2 million per annum.
“There were other allowances that normally come along with the salary, which was approved by the revenue mobilization and fiscal commission.
So during our time, this kind of idea that members were given jumbo pay in millions did not take place. This severance package that was given to the senators in 2003, I think it was 4 million or something. It wasn’t any big amount.
“In fact, even the furniture, we remember, we had to invite the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to come and evaluate them. Then they now fix the figure that we all had to pay, including our cars that were depreciated over the four years, and then we paid.
He said the Journalists should join the national ad oca y to grant financial independence to the local government and ensure that the right quality of Nigerians are attracted to take over the leadership at the grass root for real development.
He maintained that chairmen and councillors to the local government offices should be enlightened individuals who would manage the human and financial resources of their respective areas for national development.
Responding to the coalition for Democratic advancement in Nigeria, Chairman of Council, Comrade Ogbeche, said it was important to interrogate the quality of representatives of the people at all levels.
He pointed out that it was curious for a place like the FCT to have former chairmen of Councils but became representatives at the Federal House and move a motion.
He said the call for advocacy to improve democracy was also connected to producing qualitative aspirants to populate the gamut of candidates that would be fielded for the popular choice of the people.
He emphasised on the need for education of the electorate to be able to identify and canvass support for a quality candidate.