Revealed! Reps reportedly collect N12m each monthly as running cost

Revealed! Reps reportedly collect N12m each monthly as running cost

- A report revealed that each member of the House of Representatives earns between N8m and N12m as running cost per month

- This is coming barely a week after Senator Shehu Sani revealed that each senator earns a stable sum of N13.5m monthly

- When contacted, the chairman of House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrazak Namdas, allegedly did not deny the report

Following the stunning revelation by Senator Shehu Sani that the Nigerian senators earn a stable sum of N13.5m monthly, another investigation has revealed that each member of the House of Representatives earns between N8m and N12m as running cost per month.

A legislative source who spoke with Punch on Saturday, March 17, said that because of their high number (360), members of the House received slightly lower amount of running cost than senators.

The source reportedly said: "For the money to go round, the reps usually take lower than senators. Depending on the flow of allocation into the account of the National Assembly, the running cost for members is between N9.3m and N12m. There are times though when what is available is N8m.”

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A member representing one of the federal constituencies in Ondo state, who spoke on conditions of anonymity, said: “Our (monthly) running cost is not stable. It fluctuates. There were some months that we collected N8m.

“We are supposed to be collecting N12m every month but most of the time we make do with whatever they give us.

“There are things we don’t even know in the entire arrangement because the shortfall will not be included in our subsequent allocations. The whole thing is shrouded in secrecy. Only the presiding officers know the correct situation.”

Legit.ng gathered that the running cost excluded the monthly salary of between N600, 000 and N1m paid to members.

Investigations reportedly showed that until 2010, members of the National Assembly were paid running cost quarterly, but received their salaries monthly.

The quarterly allocation or running cost of each member was between N27.9m and N35m.

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However, the leadership of the 6th Assembly (2007-2011) reportedly came under pressure from members to cancel the quarterly payment and pay the running cost monthly.

When contacted for his reaction, the chairman of House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrazak Namdas, said everything about the members’ earnings had been published.

He said: “The current 8th Assembly even went the extra mile of publishing the breakdown of the budget of the National Assembly, just to clarify this issue.

“It continues to be a distraction when we want to focus on many national issues awaiting our attention.”

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that some legal practitioners in the country berated the Nigerian Senate for receiving N13.5 million running cost allowance every month.

The senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, disclosed the details of what every senator earns as salary and running cost, which had since generated backlash from Nigerians.

Lawyer and human rights activists, Femi Falana, commended the lawmaker for his revelations, but said what lawmakers earn goes beyond what was declared by the senator, adding that the exposure confirms a statement by the chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council, Itse Sagay, that Nigerian legislators are the highest paid in the world.

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Source: Legit.ng

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