The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has revealed that each of the 109 senators in Nigeria’s upper chamber receives a total of N1.06 million in salary and allowances per month.
This disclosure was made in response to recent controversies surrounding the actual amount earned by lawmakers.
According to the RMAFC, the monthly earnings of each senator comprise a basic salary of N168,866.70, motor vehicle fuelling and maintenance allowance of N126,650.00, and personal assistant allowance of N42,216.66, among others.
The commission’s chairman, Mohammed Shehu, stated that some allowances are regular while others are non-regular, with regular allowances paid with basic salary and non-regular allowances paid as due.
Shehu clarified that the RMAFC does not have the constitutional authority to enforce compliance with the remuneration package for lawmakers, but noted that the National Assembly is addressing this gap.
He also stated that apart from the President, Vice President, Senate President, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, other public and legislative officers no longer receive housing benefits.
The RMAFC chairman urged Nigerians to access the actual details of the present remuneration package for political, public, and judicial office holders on the commission’s website to avoid misinformation.
This revelation comes after a former senator, Shehu Sani, claimed that each senator receives a monthly running cost of N13.5 million in addition to the N750,000 monthly payment prescribed by the commission. However, the RMAFC has debunked this claim, stating that it does not possess the constitutional authority to enforce compliance with the remuneration package for lawmakers.
