Sen Sani’s revelation of N13.8m pay shows Nigerian senators highest paid in the world – Falana

* It’s nothing new, says Senate

A senior lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), has said that Senator Shehu Sani’s revelation that every senator gets paid a total of N13.8 million monthly proves Nigerian legislators are the highest paid in the world.

Falana said Sani’s disclosure validates a statement made to the effect by Itse Sagay, chairman, presidential advisory committee against corruption (PACAC), even, as the senate said it is nothing new.

But the Chairman Senate Committee on Media, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, in a statement on Sunday in his reply to Falana, said it was not a revelation after all, as it nothing new.

Falan commended the senator representing Kaduna central for “blowing the whistle on a matter of crucial national importance”.

Falana called on the presidency to ensure that the revenue mobilisation, allocation and fiscal commission takes action on the matter.

“For the first time since May 1999, the Senator disclosed the jumbo emoluments of the members of the upper chamber of the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. According to the Senator, the running cost of each Senator is N13.1 million in addition to a consolidated salary of N750,000 per month,” he said in a statement released on Sunday.

“Apart from the monthly package of N13.8 million each Senator is given the opportunity to execute constituency projects to the tune of N200 million per annum. However, the disclosure made by Senator Sani does not cover the allowances for cars, housing, wardrobe, furniture etc running to several millions of naira approved for each Senator.

“While we commend Senator Shehu Sani for exposing the secrecy which had enveloped the salaries and allowances of federal legislators in Nigeria before now, it is crystal clear that the statement credited to Professor Itse Sagay, the chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council not too long ago to the effect that Nigerian legislators are the highest paid in the world cannot be faulted.

“However, the federal legislators cannot be blamed alone for paying themselves skyrocketing salaries and allowances outside the ambit of the wages approved for all political office holders in the country.

“The members of the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission empowered by section 70 of the Constitution to approve the salaries and allowances of the legislators have always washed off their hands like Pontius Pilate while the Budget Office has never questioned the payment of unauthorized salaries and allowances to federal legislators.

“The revelations by Senator Sani should therefore provide an opportunity for the Nigerian people to review the entire costs of governance under the rickety democratic dispensation. The Buhari administration owes the nation a duty to ensure that no political officer is paid salaries and allowances that have not been approved by the Revenue Mobilization. Allocation Fiscal Commission. The federal government should, as a matter of urgency, halt the payment of double salary and allowances to a number of legislators and ministers.”

Falana said Sani must not be punished by the red chamber for “spilling the beans on the payment of the illegal salaries and allowances to federal legislators”.

He called on “all lovers of democracy and public accountability in Nigeria” to rally round the senator “by ensuring that he is not harassed”.

The senate in its response to the revelation on the monthly “take home” of the senators, said it is an anti -climax.

After years of public demand for information on what each senator collects, Sani finally broke it down in a recent interview, giving the “monthly running cost” as N13.5 million to be accounted for and another N700,000 that is unaccounted for.

But it is no revelation, after all, according to Sabi Abdullahi , spokesman of the senate in a statement on Sunday evening.

Abdullahi said Sani “did not disclose anything new “as the figures were contained in various line items and expenditure heads of the budget of the national assembly “which has been made public”.

He dismissed reports that senators were unhappy with Sani.

If people had looked critically at the budget, he said, they would have seen that various line items “like traveling, medicals, consultancy and the rest were captured in the budget and they were the funds divided for each Senator’s use”.

“Almost all holders of elective and appointive offices have running costs allocated to their offices and that cannot be said to be part of their salaries,” he added.

Despite Abdullahi’s statement, however, Sani is the first senator to give a breakdown of the running cost in a way that shows that the money is paid directly to the senators.

Previously, the monies were summed up under a broad headline.