Senate breaks silence on alleged N21 million monthly allowance for lawmakers

The Senate has finally responded to claims made by Senator Kawu Sumaila (NNPP, Kano South) that each serving senator receives N21 million monthly.

Chairman Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu (APC Ekiti South), on Thursday, clarified that the National Assembly receives only 1% of the federal budget.

Adaramodu, in a press release, explained that the funds mentioned by Sumaila were not personal allowances or salaries, but were for daily office operational costs, constituency office staff, oversight functions, and community engagement.

He stressed that the funds were not static and were provided in the annual budget, and the relevant officials were required to withdraw them after they were used for official purposes.

The Senate’s response came after the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMAFC), Mohammed Shehu, stated that each senator receives a total of N1,063,860 million in salaries and allowances per month.

Adaramodu stressed that the Senate is made up of talented professionals who are driven by patriotism, not financial gain.

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He said, “For the umpteenth time, the Senate is forced to react to outdated allegations of fake salaries and personal allowances being falsely credited to Senators every month.

“The Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Allocation Commission, the government body that sets the salaries and allowances of political officials, has announced the monthly personal income of Senators.

“However, all Government institutions and their personnel, Governors, Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, Directors-General, State Commissioners, even State-owned Boards and companies, including local government boards run their activities on operational costs and the National Assembly is no exception.

“So the money that Senator Kawu Sumaila meant was not a salary and not a personal allowance either.

“These funds are used to carry out the day-to-day duties of Senators and other officials. They are also used for district office staff. They are also used for oversight and community engagement functions.

“These funds are not static and are provided in the annual budget. They are disbursed by the relevant officials after being used for official purposes and proof of actual expenditure.

“It is not a personal allowance or a legislator’s salary.

“The National Assembly receives about one percent of the federal budget and never exceeds that amount, even when funding shortages are widespread.

“The Nigerian Senate is an Assembly of talented and successful professionals, administrators and industrial leaders, who are not driven by the often-touted financial concerns but by their patriotism in the nation’s quest to breathe life into the dry political and socio-economic bones of Nigeria.”

The clarification aims to dispel “outdated allegations of ostensible salaries and personal allowances” surrounding the senator’s monthly allowance.

Senate breaks silence on alleged N21 million monthly allowance for lawmakers first appeared on Latest Nigeria News | Headlines from Ripples Nigeria.