After FG’s denial, Kano Senator opens up, says, ‘My monthly take home pay is N21m’

By KEMI KASUMU

However, one of the senators told Senator Sumaila is right. “Our people are not talking because Senator Sumaila is right. If they disagree with him, he will publish his pay slip and bank documents tomorrow.”

Barely 24 hours after the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Muhammed Bello Shehu, revealed that each Senator collects a total of monthly salary and allowances of N1,063,860.00 to trash former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Sani’s claim of N13.5 million take home pay of a senator during his time as sitting Federal lawmaker, in addition to the N750,000 monthly salary prescribed by the RMAFC, a truth appears to be clearer as a Kano serving Senator countered the RMAFC.

Against the N1,063,860.00 given by RMAFC as monthly salary of senator, the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) representing Kano South Senatorial District in the Nigerian Senate, Senator Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila, said that he earns N21 million in allowances every month, apart from monthly salary of a little above N1 million mentioned by RMAFC, which is the body responsible for fixing salaries and allowances of public servants.

The DEFENDER reports all revelations regarding the claims and counter claims are products of effort by the Senate to save itself following accusation a few days earlier by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who accused members of the National Assembly of fixing salaries and allowances for themselves, in contravention of extant laws.

Although the Senate leadership replied the former President in a way believed to be move to save their face followed by RMAFC’s statement saying each Senator only earns N1 million a month as salary, the topmost level of the nation’s legislature, however, remained mum Wednesday as efforts to get the reaction of the leadership proved abortive, a media report said.

Senator Abdurrahman Kawu Samaila, who is also the Chairman Senate Committee on Sports, finally scattered the whole ground of alleged conspiracy against Obasanjo’s personality when he made the bubble to burst and the whole world now know how much a Senator earns for sitting in National Assembly that is now believed to represent not the people but personal and political interest of the President of Nigeria and an average worker earns N30,000 or less as minimum wage.

Kawu Sumaila, while speaking on BBC Hausa Service, disclosed that the monthly salary of N21 million now earned monthly by a Senator was fixed by the same RMAFC, which Chairman faulted Senator SHehu to say a senator earns only N1,063,860.00.

According to Senator Samaila, “My monthly salary is less than N1 million. After deductions, the figure comes down to a little over N600,000. Given the increase in the Senate, each senator gets N21 Million every month as running cost.”

His disclosure elicited comments from the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP), and founder of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Chekwas Okorie, who tasked the Senate leadership on full disclosure.

However, attempts to get the Senate leadership to clear the air were yet to yield dividends as of press time as it was yet to return calls or reply text messages. Some senators contacted also kept sealed lips, a media report said.

However, one of the senators told Senator Sumaila is right. “Our people are not talking because Senator Sumaila is right. If they disagree with him, he will publish his pay slip and bank documents tomorrow.”

Recall that the Chairman, Local and Foreign Debt in the 8th Senate, Senator Shehu Sani, Kaduna Central, had publicly disclosed that each senator collects a monthly running cost of N13.5million, in addition to the monthly N750,000 salary prescribed by the RMAFC.

Chairman of RMAFC, Muhammed Bello Shehu, on Tuesday Aug, revealed that each member of the Senate collects a total monthly salary and allowances of N1,063,860.00

The Commission gave a breakdown of the cumulative take home pay for lawmakers to include: basic salary of N168,866:70; motor vehicle fuelling and maintenance allowance of N126,650; N42,216:66 for personal assistant; domestic staff – N126,650:00; entertainment – N50,660:00; utilities – N50,660; newspapers/periodicals – N25,330:00; Wardrobe allowance – N42,216,66:00; house maintenance – N8,443.33 and constituency allowance – N422,166:66; respectively.

“A closer look at the monthly entitlement of Senators reveals that each Senator collects a monthly salary and allowances of the sum of N1,063,860:00 consisting of the following: Basic Salary- N168,866:70; Motor Vehicle Fuelling and Maintenance Allowance N126,650:00; Personal Assistant N42,216:66; Domestic Staff-126,650:00; Entertainment-N50,660:00; Utilities-N50,660:00; Newspapers/Periodicals-N25,330:00; Wardrobe-N42,216,66:00; House Maintenance -N8,443.33:00 and Constituency Allowance- N422,166:66; respectively,” the RMAFC chairman said in a statement he personally signed on Tuesday.

Reacting to Senator Sumaila’s disclosure, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, accused the RMAFC of trying to cover-up for public office holders in the looting of public treasury in Nigeria.

An official of NLC who spoke Vanguard on condition of anonymity, simply said: “Is there anything new in this issue of outrageous pay for National Assembly members? Perhaps, the only fresh thing is the fact that RMAFC is shamelessly covering up for public office holders in the looting of public coffers in Nigeria.”

In his reaction, former presidential candidate and founder of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Chekwas Okorie, said: “The difference between the statement of RMAFC on the N1m monthly earning of a senator and the disclosure of Senator Abdulrahmam Sumaila that he earns N21m every month is so huge that a clear and unambiguous clarification by the leadership of the Senate is compelling and urgent.

“This situation points to the fact that former President Olusegun Obasanjo may be speaking the truth that our National Assembly legislators conspire among themselves and allocate salaries and other perquisites of their offices to themselves without the knowledge of the RMAFC whose statutory responsibility it is to fix the salaries and emoluments of public officers, including the NASS.

”The presidency must clear itself of its complicity in what looks like a monumental heist of unprecedented proportion.”

Sharing Okorie’s thoughts, Chief Peter Ameh, a former presidential candidate and national secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, said: “The Senate leadership must come clean about the true status of the amount paid to each senator on a monthly, quarterly and yealy basis.

”They are the people’s representatives and must be accountable to the people. It must also declare the hidden severance package for out-going senators.

“The discrepancy between Senator Abdulrahman Sumaila’s disclosed monthly earnings of N21 million and the RMAFC Chairman’s statement of N1 million per month raises concerns about transparency and accountability in the Senate’s compensation structure. This contradiction highlights the need for clarity and consistency in publicly disclosing senators’ salaries and allowances.