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SERAP challenges Saraki over claims that senators get N3bn yearly

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Things may soon fall apart: Does Saraki hold the key?

President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki, has been urged to speak up and tell Nigerians if it was true that a Nigerian Senator gets N29 million monthly pay, and over N3 billion a year.

The call was made by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) in a statement released by its deputy director, Timothy Adewale.

SERAP made the call following the allegation by the chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption (PACAC), Professor Itse Sagay. He had last week claimed that a Nigerian senator gets N29 million monthly pay.

The Senate has been apparently mute on the matter refusing to clarify or disclose the details of salaries and allowances of its members.

“The ‘sky will not fall’ if details of a Nigerian Senator’s salaries and allowances are published on a dedicated website. SERAP believes that releasing the information on salaries and allowances of members of the Senate would encourage a nuanced, evidence-based public debate on what would or should be a fair salary for a member of the Senate,” SERAP said.

According to the organisation, the National Assembly can “regain the support of their constituents and public trust, and contribute to ending the country’s damaging reputation for corruption,” by making transparency its guiding principle.

“Transparency is a fundamental attribute of democracy, a norm of human rights, a tool to promote political and economic prosperity and to curb corruption. For the Senate, practising transparency should start with the leadership being open to Nigerians on the salaries and allowances of members.

“SERAP strongly believes that it is by knowing exactly how much their lawmakers earn as salaries and allowances that members of the National Assembly can remain accountable to Nigerians and our citizens can be assured that neither fraud nor government waste is concealed.

“The continuing refusal by the Senate to reveal concrete information about the salaries and allowances of their leadership and members could ultimately endanger the healthy development of a rule-of-law state.

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“Transparency is necessary for accountability, and helps to promote impartiality by suppressing self-interested official behavior. It also enables the free flow of information among public agencies and private individuals, allowing input, review, and criticism of government action, and thereby increases the quality of governance,” the statement read in part.

The details of the salaries and allowances as provided by Professor Sagay are basic salary N2,484,245.50; hardship allowance, 1,242, 122.70; constituency allowance N4, 968, 509.00; furniture allowance N7, 452, 736.50; newspaper allowance N1, 242, 122.70. Others are: Wardrobe allowance N621,061.37; recess allowance N248, 424.55; accommodation 4,968,509.00; utilities N828,081.83; domestic staff N1,863,184.12; entertainment N828,081.83; personal assistant N621,061.37; vehicle maintenance allowance N1,863,184.12; leave allowance N248,424.55; severance gratuity N7, 425,736.50; and motor vehicle allowance N9, 936,982.00.

 

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