On Sunday, the Senate called on former President Olusegun Obasanjo to provide concrete evidence supporting his claims that members of the National Assembly determine their own salaries and allowances.
In a statement issued in Abuja, Senator Adeyemi Adaramodu, the Senate’s spokesperson, clarified that senators only receive the salaries designated by the Revenue Mobilisation Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMFAC) as per constitutional guidelines.
Adaramodu further stated that federal lawmakers are not responsible for executing constituency projects, challenging a common misconception.
Obasanjo, who served as president from 1999 to 2007, criticized federal lawmakers last Friday in Abeokuta. During a meeting with six members of the House of Representatives, Obasanjo accused them of setting their own salaries and emoluments. The representatives, led by Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, were co-sponsors of a bill advocating for a single six-year term for presidents and governors, as well as power rotation between the North and South.
During the discussion, Obasanjo remarked, “With all due respect, you’re not supposed to fix your salaries. But you decide what you pay yourselves, including allowances like newspaper allowances. 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 proud of it. In some cases, the executive gives you what you’re not entitled to. You all got N200 million each.”
In response, the Senate expressed surprise at Obasanjo’s remarks, labeling them as hypocritical. The Senate insisted there is no way its members could independently determine their wages and allowances. The statement read, “The Nigerian Senate is shocked by the false claim that it determines its own salaries and receives a special fiscal package from the Presidency.”
“This misleading assertion was amplified during a visit of House of Representatives members to former President Obasanjo. To set the record straight, the Senate receives only the salary allocated constitutionally by the Revenue Mobilisation Fiscal Allocation Commission. We challenge anyone with evidence to the contrary to present it.”
“The Senators or the National Assembly do not and cannot fix their salaries. Any suggestions to the contrary are unfair and baseless, merely an attempt to vilify the legislature by political hypocrites.”
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