Each serving senator received no less than N2 million as allowance before continuing on a seven-week vacation, Newslodge can report.
A senator who asked not to be named because he was not authorized by the upper house to speak on the issue confirmed to Newslodge that all 109 senators were paid their vacation allowance, which began Monday and ends September 26.
A calculation by Newslodge showed that the senators were paid a total of N218 million, having received N2 million each to enjoy the holidays.
The bank alerts were received by the senators on August 8, just before Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced it.
announcing the generosity
Akpabio told the senators on Monday that some money had been credited to their accounts to enjoy their vacation.
“So that we can all enjoy our holidays, the Secretary of the National Assembly has sent a token to our various accounts,” he said shortly after selecting and confirming the ministerial candidates.
The president of the Senate was immediately informed by his colleagues that he was speaking live on television.
Realizing the seriousness of his statements, he quickly announced his retirement and rephrased his statement, saying that the president of the Senate sent prayers to the senators’ mailboxes.
“I withdraw that statement. In order for you to enjoy your vacation, the President of the Senate has sent prayers to your mailboxes to help you make a safe journey and return.”
More for presidents?
It is not clear if the presidents, namely the President of the Senate and the Vice President of the Senate, also received N2 million each due to the difference in the salaries and allowances they earn and those of the other. senators in the remuneration package approved by the Fiscal, Allocation and Mobilization of Income Commission (RMAFC).
Additionally, Principal Officers are expected to earn higher assignments than their colleagues.
There are eight senior officials, the majority party, APC, has four, and the minority, which comprises the six opposition parties, also has four.
The principal officers are the Leader of the Senate, the Deputy Leader of the Senate, the Chief Whip, and the Deputy Chief Whip.
There is also minority leader, deputy minority leader, minority whip, and deputy minority whip.
Illegal “tab” for senators
The N2 million allowance given to senators is illegal as such a provision is not included in the remuneration package approved by RMAFC, the body empowered by law to prepare salaries and allowances for public servants.
There is also no provision for “token” in the commission document, as stated by Mr. Akpabio when announcing the bounty to the senators.
However, legislators are entitled to a “recess” allowance under the law, which is 10 percent of each legislator’s annual base salary and is paid once a year.
According to the package prepared by RMAFC, a senator earns N2,026,400 and thus receives N202,240 as recess allowance per year.
The basic salary of the President of the Senate per year is N2,483,242 and therefore he receives N248,424 as a recess allowance.
For his part, the Vice President of the Senate earns N2,309,166 and his allowance for recess is N230,916.
N70bn “support” for the working conditions of legislators
There is speculation that the N2 million each of the senators received was drawn from the N70 billion allocated to the National Assembly in the 2022 amended supplementary budget.
President Bola Tinubu had proposed in June the allocation in the supplementary budget “to support the working conditions of the new members”. It was immediately approved by legislators.
The new allocation came despite the huge allocation of N228.1 billion to the National Assembly in the 2023 budget. The figure was an increase of around N59.1 billion from N169 billion proposed by former President Muhammadu Buhari on the budget.
Akpabio’s gaffes and public outrage over the senators
Akpabio’s announcement that the senators had been paid “a sample” sparked the anger and outrage of Nigerians, considering the difficulties many are facing as a result of the removal of the oil subsidy.
Many Nigerians have also questioned the ability of the Akpabio-led Senate to fight corruption and help develop the country’s economy.
But it is not the first time that the president of the Senate commits such a blunder.
Last month, he was filmed live trivializing “Let The Poor Breathe”, a phrase commonly used to criticize the difficulties Nigerians are facing today.
ALSO READ: Akpabio generates controversy after error by revealing vacation pay for senators
But in a statement, Akpabio explained that it was not intentional to insult people, adding that he was not ignorant of the difficulties Nigerians were facing.
He said the motive behind “Let The Poor Breathe” “was to strongly reject any plans to increase electricity rates for Nigerians, considering the ongoing economic challenges Nigerians are facing.”
“We are deeply concerned by the negative slant of a very innocuous statement by Senate President Godswill Akpabio about his and the Senate’s deep concern about the plight of ordinary Nigerians as a result of the prevailing economic situation in the country. ”, the statement of the media unit of the office of the president of the Senate
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Let hear it in the comment below if you do have an opinion on this; Nigerian senators illegally share N218 million as ‘holiday’ allowance