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- Nigerans senators have been heavily criticsed following the revelations about the actual salaries and allowances of National Assembly members
- Peter Obi on Friday, condemned President Tinubu's government and described the alleged N21 million monthly salary of senators as one of the factors stopping the country’s critical growth
- He noted that while it would take a PhD holder about 10 years to earn N21 million and purchase a SUV jeep worth N160 million, a serving senator "who may probably have just a SSCE earns the amount monthly"
Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements
Peter Obi, Labour Party (LP)’s flagbearer in the 2023 presidential election, has criticised the exorbitant cost of governance in Nigeria, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He highlighted that an average PhD holder would have to save for years to afford the N160 million SUVs driven by lawmakers.
Obi, in a series of post shared on his X page on Friday, August 16, said the reckless spending in the government is responsible for the decline in the standards of the university education system.
The former Anambra state governor, lamented that while a Grade 2 lecturer might earn just N150,000 per month, an average lawmaker takes home about N21 million monthly, revealing a stark disparity between the government’s prioritisation of education and its own extravagant expenses.
Recall that former President Olusegun Obasanjo alleged that federal lawmakers now fix new salaries and allowances for themselves. The Nigerian Senate quickly refuted his claims.
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Interestingly, the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), in a statement, disclosed that each Senator collects a monthly salary and allowances of the sum of N1.063 million, this further sparked a fresh debate in the polity.
Reacting to the controversy on lawmakers' actual salaries, Obi tweeted:
"If fortunate, one might be employed as a Lecturer Grade 2 with a monthly salary of around N150,000, often paid irregularly, totaling N1,800,000 annually. In stark contrast, our legislators, whose required educational qualification is merely a secondary school certificate, receive a monthly salary of N21 million, which is more than 10 years salary of a PhD holder. "This disparity is the root of the problem. Additionally, legislators are provided with SUVs worth N160 million from the public purse. For a PhD holder to afford such a vehicle, it would take over 85 years of saving every kobo earned. The solution lies in shifting our society from a consumption-driven mindset to a production-oriented approach, where hard work, innovation, and talent are valued and rewarded."Senate to Obasanjo: "We don’t receive monetary patronage"
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Senate denied the claims by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that it determined lawmakers' salaries and received special fiscal packages from President Tinubu.
Senator Adaramodu, the Chairman Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, described Obasanjo’s submission as false.
He noted that the 10th Senate is a responsible and responsive chamber, hence, would not do anything that can harm the economy and growth of the country.
Source: Legit.ng
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