Unmoved by pushback, former president Obasanjo wages a relentless war against the national assembly over the latter’s alleged bogus salaries and allowances
Former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, has continually attacked the institution of the National Assembly (NASS) at every given opportunity. He has, however, been consistent in focusing on the opaque and less than accountable finance of the legislature, especially what the public regards as the bogus salaries and allowances of members of the house of representatives and senators.
A courtesy call and renewed bashing….
Over the weekend, the ex-president played host to some members of the green chamber in his residence in Abeokuta, the capital city of Ogun State. Obasanjo, while addressing the members, criticised the legislators for fixing their salaries and allowances at will instead of allowing the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), that is saddled with the constitutional powers to fully carry out that function, to do its job. “With all due respect, you are not supposed to fix your salaries, and allowances yourself, you know that is not right. It is supposed to be done by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission. You decide what you will give yourself; newspaper allowances, pant allowances, shitting allowances and all; (you) give yourselves all sorts of names and you know it’s not right, it isn’t right. You know it is not right for me to declare and determine what I pay myself, you know it is not right, it is immoral. And then you are doing it, even the senate is doing it and even then you beat your chest and even the executive sometimes gives you what you are not entitled to. You all got N200 million,” he told his bewildered guests.
This drag by Obasanjo comes at a time when Nigerians are very unsatisfied and unhappy with the NASS for not holding the government of President Bola Tinubu to account for its harsh economic policies like removal of fuel subsidy and hike in electricity tariffs which has caused untold economic hardship currently being endured by citizens.
A swift counter from the senate…
In a swift response, the senate countered Obasanjo and described allegations that senators fix their own selaries and allowances as “uncharitable and satanic.” The disclaimer was made by senate spokesman, senator Yemi Adaramodu (APC Ekiti South) via a press statement while describing the allegations as an attempt to “crucify the legislature by the centurions of political hypocrisy.” The statement also clarified that senators only receive salaries as constitutionally allocated by RMFAC and sought to explain corruption allegations thus: “The executive arm of government, through its various ministries and agencies, is responsible for awarding contracts for the constituency projects. The funds allocated for these projects vary depending on the number of constituencies in each state and the intention is to ensure that every region of Nigeria benefits from federal resources”.
Obasanjo, NASS, and the unending fight over salaries
Obasanjo has had several battles with the National Assembly probably resulting in name calling. He had referenced National Assembly members as being corrupt, tagging them as “crooks”. The former president did not begin to wage war against the NASS today. He has been consistent. On January 13, 2016 Obasanjo wrote a letter to then senate president, Bukola Saraki, and House speaker, Yakubu Dogara wherein he further accused the lawmakers of perpetrating a culture of financial misconduct with the “opaqueness” in national assembly budgets over the years. Part of the letter read: “The beginning of good governance which is the responsibility of all arms and all the tiers of government is openness and transparency. It does not matter what else we try to do as long as one arm of government shrouds its financial administration and management in opaqueness and practices rife with corruption, only very little, if anything at all, can be achieved in pulling Nigeria on the path of sustainable and enduring democratic system, development and progress. Governance without transparency will be a mockery of democracy.” He had also expressed concern with funds earmarked for the purchase of new cars for the lawmakers, saying: “Mr. President of the Senate (Bukola Saraki) and Hon. Speaker of the House (Yakubu Dogara), you know that your emolument which the commission had recommended for you takes care of all your legitimate requirements: basic salary, car, housing, staff, constituency allowance. Although the constituency allowance is paid to all members of the National Assembly, many of them have no constituency offices which the allowance is partly meant to cater for. And yet other allowances and payments have been added by the National Assembly for the National Assembly members’ emoluments. Surely, strictly speaking, it is unconstitutional.” He lashed further:“By our constitution, the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission is charged with the responsibility of fixing emoluments of the three arms of government: executive, legislature and judiciary. The commission did its job but by different disingenuous ways and devices, the legislature had overturned the recommendation of the commission and hiked up for themselves that which they are unwilling to spell out in detail, though they would want to defend it by force of arms if necessary.”
The NASS salaries and allowances brouhaha…
The salaries and allowances of national assembly members have been matters of intense debate and criticism by Nigerians. On several occasions, many Nigerians have accused parliamentarians of earning bogus wages and bonuses not rightly allocated by agencies saddled with this responsibility despite the country’s lean resources. The exact figures earned by the lawmakers have been shrouded in secrecy over the years thereby throwing up all kinds of figures as may be guessed.
Although lawmakers, both current and past, have made attempts to explain to Nigerians what their exact take home pay is, Nigerians would not believe them. In 2018, Shehu Sani, a former senator who represented Kaduna Central, said he and his colleagues (senators), “received N13.8 million monthly as running costs, in addition to a consolidated salary of N750,000 per month. Apart from the monthly package of N13.8 million, each senator is given the opportunity to nominate constituency projects to the tune of N200 million per annum.”
On October 1st 2020, a former Gombe lawmaker, Rep. Simon Karu during an event to mark the country’s 60th independence day anniversary, said the salary of a legislator in the green chamber is N800,000and that each receives N8.5 million as “running cost.” He further explained that most of the money was channelled to his constituents who ask for assistance. “The official salary of a member, house of representatives, which I also receive monthly is N800,000. I told you I was going to say it; why don’t you wait for me to say it? The office running cost of a member of the house of representatives is N8.5 million,” Karu had said.
Bogus salaries? No, it’s a far cry…
Despite the public indignation over the salaries and allowances of lawmakers, the institution and its members appear to be unoerturbed. In fact, they appear insensitive. Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Rep. Benjamin Kalu, had in February 2024, while appearing on Channels Television, described the salaries of legislators as a “far cry from what it is supposed to be.” Responding to a question, he said: “Talking about the salaries of the National Assembly, it is a far cry from what it is supposed to be,” he said.
The Dogara dimension and admonition on salaries…
It can be be recalled that former speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, sparred with then Kaduna state governor, Nasir El Rufai on the salaries and allowances matter. The latter had stirred the debate by calling for accountability in the national assembly and requested the lawmakers to provide further details on the opaque N115 billion annual budget. “It is in the national assembly’s interest to actually publish its budget because there are rumours of bogus amounts of money that they are getting which I do not believe is true. This N100 billion or so budget of the national assembly is money belonging to the people of Nigeria and every Nigerian has the right to ask and I am exercising that right as a citizen not even as a governor,” he had stated. But Dogara had fired back by calling out governors to publish their security votes. He went further to release his pay slip which revealed that he earned a gross income of N402,500 monthly.
Recently however, Dogara made headlines on the matter when he revealed that his monthly allowance as speaker was N25,000,000. He spoke at the legislative open week held in Abuja on July 3rd, 2024, stressing that the allowance hardly lasted three days due to high demands from constituents and intense pressures on lawmakers. He thereafter called for accountability and transparency from the national assembly on the inflow and usage of funds. “I think it is time to throw this challenge open to citizens without hiding anything. Not that the National Assembly is hiding anything. The reason why they keep hitting at this soft spot is because those doing this know that institutions such as those of the national assembly will be ineffective when subjected to public scorn,” he said.
