What Did Obasanjo Say About Senators’ Salaries That’s Causing Controversy?

What did former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo say that is now making Nigerians to descend on their lawmakers, some calling for their sack?

Here is the statement:

“With all due respect, you’re not supposed to fix your salaries. But you decide what you pay yourself, the allowances that you give yourselves. You give yourselves all sorts of things, and you know it is not right.

It is immoral, yet you are doing it, the Senate is doing it, and you are beating your chests about it. In some cases, the executive gives you what you’re not entitled to. You all got N200 million each.”

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Background to this

IT was last Friday the Former President Olusegun Obasanjo last Friday stirred the hornet’s nest again by saying what many have described as the honest truth.

He chided Senators and members of the House of Representatives for fixing their own salaries and allowances which he described as immoral.

Where did Obasanjo say this?

President Obasanjo made the accusation while receiving six members of the House of Representatives who are co-sponsors of bills on single term /rotational presidency led by Ugochinyere Ikenga representing Ideato North and Ideato South Federal Constituency of Imo state.

Reactions from the Senate

The Senate in a statement last Sunday refuted the claims by Obasanjo in a statement by Mohammed Shehu, the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC.

Note that the RMAFC is responsible for fixing salaries and allowances of public servants.

It said: “Each of the 109 senators in the upper chamber receives a total of N1.06m as salary and allowances per month.”

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Breakdown of the lawmakers’ salaries:

Monthly salary and allowances of N1,063,860,

Of which

-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

= constituency allowance, N422,166:66.

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