One of the appointees of President Muhammadu Buhari has publicly discussed the massive cash raked by federal lawmakers amid the cash crunch.
Itse Sagay
Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Professor Itse Sagay has disclosed that an average Nigerian Senator earns three billion naira per annum.
He made revelation while delivering the Nigerian Society of International Law (NSIL) Public Lecture titled “The Many Afflictions of Anti-Corruption Crusade in Nigeria” as Guest speaker on Wednesday in Lagos.
“From the information I have gathered, a Nigerian Senator earns about #29 million a month and over #3 billion a year,” Sagay stated.
The comprehensive breakdown of the salary of the Senators given by Professor Sagay amounted to #3, 264, 329, 264.10 per annum.
The breakdown of the salary of 29 million naira per month is as follows:
Basic Salary #2, 484, 245.50;
Hardship allowance, 1,242, 122.70;
Constituency allowance #4, 968, 509.00;
Furniture allowance #7, 452, 736.50;
Newspaper allowance #1, 242, 122.70;
Wardrobe allowance, 621,061.37;
Recess allowance #248, 424.55;
Accommodation 4,968,509.00;
Utilities #828,081.83;
Domestic staff #1,863,184.12;
Entertainment #828,081.83;
Personal Assistant #621,061.37;
Vehicle Maintenance Allowance 1,863,184.12;
Leave Allowance #248,424.55;
Severance Gratuity #7, 425,736.50
Motor Vehicle Allowance, #9, 936,982.00.
“The younger the more corrupt”
Sagay also spoke against the rush of younger politicians in haste to run the affairs of the country, noting that Nigerian politics has quickly declined since the first Republic.
According to Sagay, “One common thread that runs through the attitude of recent politicians borders on greed, avarice, self-service and accumulation of wealth at the expense of the country.”
“Why the rush? A young politician who wants to run at 25 will still become 30, it is just a matter of five years. Why can’t they wait to run? Most politicians are just consumed by greed and the younger they get, the corrupt they become,” the professor said.