Senators receive N21mn as running cost monthly – Lawmaker

Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila, Senator representing Kano South under the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has disclosed that each Senator in Nigeria receives N21 million monthly for administrative expenses.

He disclosed this during an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Hausa service.

Former president of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo, had recently alleged that lawmakers are cutting themselves huge salaries than they deserve.

Sumaila stated that his official monthly salary, as stipulated by the Salaries and Wages Commission, is less than N1 million, often amounting to around N600,000 after deductions. However, he noted that an additional N21 million is provided monthly to cover the costs associated with running his office, bringing the total sum he receives each month to approximately N22 million.

“The amount of salary received per month is less than one million naira, if there are cuts, it comes back to about six hundred thousand naira and a little something as salary,” “Because of the increase, in the Senate, each senator is given N21 naira every month as the cost of running his office,” he said.

The Senator elaborated that this money covers all office-related activities, including domestic travel and purchasing newspapers. However, he stated that he is unaware of the specific amounts received by parliamentary leaders for salaries and management.

Sumaila also took the opportunity to criticize former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who recently accused Nigerian lawmakers of awarding themselves excessive salaries.

The Senator countered by accusing Obasanjo of introducing the practice of allocating large sums to lawmakers during his tenure, allegedly to facilitate the amendment of the constitution for his political ambitions—a claim Obasanjo has previously denied.

Credit: BusinessDay