EXCLUSIVE: Borno, Yobe, Adamawa To Give Lawmakers Over N7billion As Honorarium, Sitting Allowances In 2024

A budget review of states fiscal estimates for the 2024 fiscal year has shown that over N7billion was budgeted by the Adamawa, Borno and Yobe state governments as honorarium and sitting allowances.
SaharaReporters also found that a total sum of N23billion as budgeted for same items by 17 states. 
The states studied in this report are; Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Oyo, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Gombe, Cross Rivers, Bayelsa, Adamawa, Niger, Yobe, Borno, Zamfara, Imo and Enugu.
The review shows that Osun State budgeted N1.056 billion for honorarium and sitting allowances in its 2024 budget documents, Oyo State budgeted N329 million, Ekiti N594 million, Ondo N404 million, Kaduna N510 million, Kano N453 million, Katsina N284 million.
Others are; Gombe N100 million, Cross Rivers N38.6 million, Bayelsa N1.443 billion, Adamawa N1.5 billion, Niger N7.027 billion, Yobe N3.465 billion, Borno N4.461 billion, Zamfara N52 million, Imo N646 million and Enugu N1.211 billion.
Sitting allowances are prominently paid to lawmakers, that is; members of the House of Assembly. The allowances can also be applied to those in attendance of meetings among others 
Honorariums are forms of gifts or monies given for services that otherwise wouldn’t have had payments; it is usually given as a form of appreciation gesture.
Investopedia defines honorarium as a voluntary payment that is given to a person for which service fees are not legally or traditionally required.
There have been concerns over the prudence of states in managing their resources especially in relation to their financial prudence. 
States have also lamented their inability to meet fiscal needs, a development that has led to reliance on loans, bailout funds among others.
Many stakeholders have called for a cut in cost of governance to allow better gains for the people.