Senators won’t follow Buhari’s example on pay cut

Members of the upper chamber of the National Assembly have rejected a pay cut in their salaries and allowances contrary to an earlier assertion by its leadership that the senate would review downwards their pay package.
This is also at variance with the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari, and his vice, Yemi Osinbajo who have accepted to cut their salaries by 50% in efforts to reduce the high cost of governance.
It was gathered on Wednesday, that the Senate suspended consideration of the report of its Finance committee following sharp disagreements among members over the pay cut recommended by the panel.
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki had constituted an ad-hoc committee on the review of the finance of the Senate for the purposes of cutting cost of governance through downward review of salaries and allowances of senators.
After weeks of deliberations the 10-man committee, chaired by Senator James Manager (PDP Delta South) submitted its report to the senate last week Thursday with recommendations on a slight reduction in the salaries and allowances of senators.
The report, according to a source, recommended a 10 per cent cut in the allowances and salaries of all senators.
The report which was to be openly debated on the floor of the Senate yesterday for possible adoption, was stood down for further legislative input after about two hours of closed door session by all the senators on it.
At the resumption of sitting yesterday, Senator Saraki following a closed door session, said that senators agreed to step down the report for further legislative input without giving any reason.
But some senators, who later who spoke on the issue on the condition that their names must be kept secret, said the report was stood down due to its total rejection by the majority of the senators.
Senators it was learnt, warned that the matter must be cautiously handled.
One senator said that though majority of the senators agreed that funny allowances like the monthly N42,000 wardrobe allowance should be cancelled or cut off completely, others reasoned that substantive statutory emoluments should be sustained in the face of increasing financial requests from constituents and other Nigerians on daily basis.

Read also: Buhari, Osinbajo take 50% pay cut

On what transpired at the closed- door session, Senator Matthew Urhoghide (PDP Edo South), said senators told themselves the truth at the session on the need to be very cautious on accepting reduction of salaries and allowances.
He said, “Yes, as recommended by the committee, all senators agreed that there must be openness in Senate budget and by extension, that of the National Assembly.
“At the same time, many reasoned that why should we further reduce our budget when already, N30bn has been reduced from the traditional 150bn that it used to be for all the seven different organs of the National Assembly.
“All of us have people in our constituencies and financial requests from them keep piling up on a daily basis, the reality of which made steps to be redirected, otherwise, some of us may stop coming here.”
The committee, it was learnt, also recommended the publication of all the payments accruable to each senator on a quarterly basis.
Addressing journalists after plenary, Senate spokesperson, Senator Dino Melaye, said further action on the report was put on hold because the senate budget was an integral part of the National Assembly budget being jointly shared by seven bodies.

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