MEMBERS of the ninth House of Representatives officially cost Nigerian taxpayers over N9.4 billion in allowances and running cost when they resumed in June 2019.
As confirmed by some lawmakers who spoke to the Nigerian Tribune, a breakdown of the fund paid includes N7 million vehicle allowance (not the official vehicle to be procured by the House), about N9 million for furniture and transport allowances as well as N8 million as running cost.
When contacted, Mr Rawlings Agada, Director of Department of Information at the National Assembly, confirmed that all issues bordering on the initial package of rent and transport had been concluded after the inauguration and ahead of the ministerial screening.
While saying that “I can’t give you 100 per cent confirmation that all of them have been paid, or paid in batches,” Mr Agada, however, affirmed that the allowances paid to the lawmakers were in tandem with the template approved by Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMFAC).
He further confirmed that the National Assembly management has also commenced payment of monthly salaries and
allowances as provided by enabling law, adding that “nobody can go outside the actual” approval for the lawmakers.
He also confirmed that the loan given to members for the procurement of vehicles is different from the utility vehicles to be purchased by the House to facilitate legislative activities.
He maintained that similar gestures are enjoyed by other political appointees, including ministers and special advisers to the president.
However, as stipulated on the website of RMFAC which is saddled with the responsibility of fixing the remunerations of political, public and judicial officeholders, including members of the National Assembly, the Speaker of the
House of Representatives is entitled to an annual basic salary of N9,908,440; the sum of N7,231,330 is for severance gratuity; N9,908,440 is for motor vehicle loan (optional) to be repaid before the expiration of the four-year tenure.
Meanwhile, other allowances for motor vehicle, fuelling and maintenance; special assistants, personal assistant, domestic staff, entertainment, utilities, security, legislative aides, ward-robe allowance, newspaper and periodicals and house maintenance, are “To Be Determined” (TBD).
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On the other hand, each member of the House of Representatives is entitled to a total sum of N9,529,038.06 annual basic salary or N794,086.83 monthly salary, as well as other allowances such as accommodation, N3,970,425 furniture, N5,955,637.50 once in four-years; severance gratuity, N5,955,657.50 and motor vehicle allowance, N7,940,850.50 (optional) to be repaid before the expiration of the tenure.
The commission’s template also provides for payment of regular allowances alongside the basic salaries while non-regular allowances are paid as and when due.
According to some of the ranking lawmakers who spoke to in the Nigerian Tribune under the condition of anonymity, the National Assembly bureaucracy paid the same amount to both the reelected members and new ones.
“It’s flat rate to all the re-elected lawmakers and new members and that’s why the House was dissolved and reconstituted,” a North-Eastn lawmaker said, adding that each member was given a form to fill during the induction programme to this effect.
“It’s the National Assembly management that provides the facility and deduct from source for about six months’ period.” Another lawmaker who does not want his name in print told the Nigerian Tribune: “Each principal officer
has his/her running cost different from the ones given to other members.”
As stipulated in the Standing Order, 10 members of the Body of Principal Officers in the House of Representatives are: speaker, deputy speaker, majority leader, deputy majority leader, chief whip, deputy chief whip who are from the ruling party, as well as minority leader, deputy minority leader, chief whip and deputy chief whip, from other opposition parties.
Responding to an inquiry about the rationale behind the non-disclosure of the quarterly allowance of members, the lawmaker from North-East disclosed that the “quarterly allowance otherwise called ‘Running Cost’ for each member is worth N8 million.”
Nigerian Tribune, however, gathered that the payment of running cost is not part of RMAFC mandate, but determined by the National Assembly bureaucracy.