File: House of Reps in session

Procurement Observation and Advocacy Initiative, a Civil Society Organisations (CSO) on Tuesday called for review of emolument of lawmakers and ministers, saying it was avoidable drain on the nation’s finances.

Besides, according to National Coordinator of the group, Mr Mohammed Attah, the earnings of these politicians should be in line with public service wage structure.

Attah made the call at a workshop on Salaries and Emoluments of National Assembly members organised by the Centre Leadership Strategy and Development (Centre LSD) in Abuja.

He accused Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMAFC) of colluding with National Assembly in fixing the emoluments of the lawmakers and cabinet members of the Executive.

“According to the salary structure formulated by RMAFC, Ministers of the Federal Republic earn N22, 229,040.00 per annum which includes annual basic salary of N2, 000,000.00 and other allowances.

“This means that when you remove the N2 million basic salary, the balance of N20, 229,040.00 goes for other expenses referred to as domestic allowances.

“ Thus, Senators are entitled to N28, 166,960.00 annual salary and allowances, including additional N24, 327,600.00 as allowances for accommodation, vehicle, furniture, and severance gratuity.

“These allowances are paid every four years, with vehicle and furniture allowances recovered within the tenure, as loans,’’ he said.

Attah said that since 2007, there had been a trend of former governors and some deputy governors contesting elections to the Senate on completion of their mandatory tenure in office.

According to him, their incursion into the Senate which has become a fashion, constitute a huge drain on the limited resources of the country due to the double salary and allowances they receive.

He said that laws of some states reviewed by the organisation showed that governors and their deputies were entitled to pensions and benefits until death.

The coordinator pointed out that the implications of paying humongous salaries to past and present political office holders portended negative consequences for the “presently recessed economy of Nigeria’’.

“According to an article by World Bank, Nigeria has an infrastructure deficit of three trillion dollars whereas the record reveals that about N40 billion has so far been spent on payment of double salaries to some legislators.

“This research is of the opinion that if this ugly development is not addressed urgently, Nigeria will continue to grapple under the yoke of poor infrastructure.’’

He said that statistics from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), revealed that Nigeria budgeted and spent only seven per cent of annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on infrastructure.

“But, the country requires 12 per cent of annual GDP to clear its infrastructural deficit.’’

He said that the deficit of five per cent could be funded from the double salaries paid to legislators, who served as governor and deputy governor, when their earnings were reviewed.

Attach said that available facts indicated that Nigeria’s lawmakers were among the world’s highest paid, and said that a general consensus of citizens was that their pay should be pruned down and channelled to grassroots development.

He said that Nigeria had a responsibility, like others countries, to enhance transparency and accountability in governance with the aim of delivering good governance to the people.

He advised that Nigeria as a member of the comity of nations should strive to emulate other countries where democracy dividends had benefited the people.

According to him it should not be where the cost of maintaining one arm of government has been at the expense of the welfare of the people and other sections in the nation.

On his part, Programme Director of Centre LSD, Mr Monday Osasah, said that the huge amount of money meant for infrastructure development was usually channelled to personal interests.

Osasah said that there was no way the economy would grow and the infrastructural deficit in the country reversed if monies continued to be channelled into servicing politicians.

“Antithetically, these are happening at a time when workers are owed arrears of salaries and the masses are groaning under recession caused by the wastefulness of the ruling class.

“There is no way the country can make the desired progress in a situation where the political leadership is arguably more interested in salaries and overheads than in capital expenditure,’’ he said.

Osasah urged the lawmakers to reverse the trend and channel such funds into the real sectors that would drive growth and development in the economy. (NAN)