The chairman Senate Committee on Sports, Senator Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila, NNPP, Kano South, Wednesday said he earns N21million in allowances every month apart from monthly salary of about N1million.
Senator Sumaila spoke barely 24 hours after the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), a body responsible for fixing salaries and allowances of public servants stated that each member of the Senate collects a total monthly salary and allowances of N1,063,860.00.
Speaking to the BBC Hausa Service Wednesday morning, Sumaila said the monthly salary was fixed by the RMAFC, adding that, “My monthly salary is less than N1million. After deductions, the figure comes down to a little over N600,000,” Senator Sumaila said.
He stated further that: “Given the increase in the Senate, each Senator gets N21million every month as running cost.”
Senator Shehu Sani, Kaduna Central, had publicly stated that each Senator collects monthly running cost of N13.5 million in addition to the monthly N750,000 prescribed by the RMAFC.
However, chairman of RMAFC, Muhammed Bello Shehu, Tuesday made public the actual salaries and allowances payable to members of the National Assembly. He said each member of the Senate collects a total monthly salary and allowances of N1, 063,860.00.
The commission gave the breakdown of the cumulative take-home pay for lawmakers to include: basic salary of N168,866:70; motor vehicle fuelling and maintenance allowance of N126,650; N42,216:66 for personal assistant; domestic staff – N126,650:00; entertainment – N50,660:00; utilities – N50,660; newspapers/periodicals – N25,330:00; Wardrobe allowance – N42,216,66:00; house maintenance – N8,443.33 and constituency allowance – N422,166:66; respectively.
He said some “allowances are regular while others are non-regular. Regular allowances are paid regularly with a basic salary while non-regular allowances are paid as of when due.
“For instance, furniture allowance (N6,079,200 million) and severance gratuity (N6,079,200 million) are paid once in every tenure and vehicle allowance (N8,105,600 million) which is optional is a loan which the beneficiary has to pay before leaving office.
“A closer look at the monthly entitlement of Senators reveals that each Senator collects a monthly salary and allowances of the sum of N1,063,860:00 consisting of the following: Basic Salary- N168,866:70; Motor Vehicle Fuelling and Maintenance Allowance N126,650:00; Personal Assistant N42,216:66; Domestic Staff-126,650:00; Entertainment-N50,660:00; Utilities-N50,660:00; Newspapers/Periodicals-N25,330:00; Wardrobe-N42,216,66:00; House Maintenance -N8,443.33:00 and Constituency Allowance- N422,166:66; respectively,” the RMAFC chairman said in a statement he signed on Tuesday.”
