AFTER TURNING DOWN SEVERAL FOI REQUESTS, HERE’S AN ALLEGED BREAKDOWN OF LEGISLATORS’ SALARIES AND ALLOWANCES IN NIGERIA, ACCORDING TO THE ECONOMIST: TOTAL PER MONTH = N29, 479, 749.00 (between $189,500 and $190,192 MONTHLY SALARY) Basic Salary (BS) = N2, 484, 245.50 Hardship Allowance: 50% of Basic Salary = N1, 242, 122.75. Constituency allowance: 200% of BS = N4, 968, 509.00. Furniture Allowance: 300% of BS = N7, 452, 736.50. Newspaper allowance: 50% = N1, 242, 122.70. Wardrobe allowance: 25% = N621, 061.37. Recess Allowance: 10% = N248, 424.55. Accommodation: 200% = N4, 968, 509.00. Utilities: 30% = N828, 081.83. Domestic Staff: 35% = N863, 184.12. Entertainment: 30% = N828, 081.83. Personal Assistance: 25% = N621, 061.37. Vehicle Maintenance Allowance: 75% = N1, 863, 184.12. Leave Allowance: 10% = N248, 424.55 One off payments (Severance gratuity): 300% = N7, 452, 736.50. Motor Vehicle Allowance: 400% of BS = N9, 936, 982.00. TOTAL PER MONTH = N29, 479, 749.00 (between $189,500 and $190,192) According to data, only Australian lawmakers, with $201,200 annual salary, receive higher amounts compared to Nigerian legislators. Other yearly salary details published by the Economist are those of lawmakers in Ghana ($46,500), Indonesia ($65,800), Thailand ($43,800), India ($11,200), Italy ($182,000), Bangladesh ($4,000), Israel ($114,800), Hong Kong ($130,700), Japan ($149,700), Singapore ($154,000), Canada ($154,000), New Zealand ($112,500), Germany ($119,500), Ireland ($120,400), Pakistan ($3,500), Malaysia ($25,300), Sweden ($99,300), Sri Lanka ($5,100), Spain ($43,900) and Norway ($138,000). Other allowances, which are payable every year, are car maintenance (Senator N1.52m, Rep N595,563), constituency (Senator N5m, Rep N1.687m), domestic staff (Senator N1.5m, Rep N1.488m), personal assistant (Senator N506,600; Rep N496,303), entertainment (Senator N202,640, Rep N198,521), recess (Senator N202,640; Rep N198,521), utilities (Senator N607,920; Rep N397,042), newspaper/periodicals (Senator N303,960; Rep N297,781), house maintenance (Senator N101,320; Rep N99,260) and ward robe (Senator N405,280; Rep N397,402) There are also estacode (Senator $600, Rep $550) and duty tour allowance (Senator N23, 000; Rep N21, 000) payable per day when a lawmaker is on official trip. Alaba Johnson notes that, in February 2009, late President Umaru Yar’Adua initiated a process of reducing the pay packages of public office holders on the ground that the amounts were untenable in view of government’s finances. According to The Economist, while the salary of a Nigerian lawmaker is 116 times the country’s GDP per person, that of a British member of parliament is just 2.7 times.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Jul 2013 07:33:58 +0000
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