Obasanjo Criticizes Lawmakers Over Self-Determined Salaries
Abeokuta, Ogun State: Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has criticized members of the House of Representatives for determining their salaries and allowances. Speaking on Friday while hosting some lawmakers in Abeokuta, the capital city of Ogun State, Obasanjo emphasized that it is the duty of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMFAC) to set the remuneration for public office holders.
“Look at your case, with all due respect,” Obasanjo said. “You are not supposed to fix your salaries or your allowances; it is supposed to be done by the RMFAC, but you decide what you pay yourselves, the allowances that you give yourselves – newspaper allowances, pant allowances – you give yourself all sorts of things. With due respect, you know it is not right.
“It is not right for me to be the one to declare and determine what I pay myself. It is immoral, and then you are doing it. The Senate is doing it, and sometimes, the executive gives you what you are not entitled to. You all got N200 million.”
The total remuneration federal lawmakers receive every month remains shrouded in secrecy which has subjected the federal legislative arm of government to criticism for the “huge pay” allocated to its members.
Shehu Sani, a former senator who represented Kaduna Central, in 2018, revealed that he and his colleagues received N13.5 million monthly as running costs, aside from their salaries.
