THE Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has reported that each of the 109 senators in the red chamber receives a monthly salary and allowances totaling ₦1,063,860.
The commission detailed the breakdown of these earnings as follows: Basic Salary – ₦168,866.70; Motor Vehicle Fuelling and Maintenance Allowance – ₦126,650.00; Personal Assistant – ₦42,216.66; Domestic Staff – ₦126,650.00; Entertainment – ₦50,660.00; Utilities – ₦50,660.00; Newspapers/Periodicals – ₦25,330.00; Wardrobe – ₦42,216.66; House Maintenance – ₦8,443.33; and Constituency Allowance – ₦422,166.66.
In a statement today, RMAFC chair M.B. Shehu clarified this information “in light of recent comments made by Mr. Shehu Sani, a former Senator, who reportedly claimed that each senator receives a monthly running cost of ₦13.5 million in addition to the ₦750,000.00 monthly set by the Commission.”
Shehu explained that RMAFC lacks the constitutional authority to enforce the proper implementation of lawmakers’ remuneration packages, noting, “This gap is currently being addressed by the National Assembly.”
He elaborated that some allowances are regular, while others are non-regular. “Regular allowances are disbursed alongside the basic salary, whereas non-regular allowances are provided as needed.
“For example, the Furniture allowance (₦6,079,200.00) and Severance Gratuity (₦6,079,200.00) are paid once every tenure, while Vehicle allowance (₦8,105,600.00), which is optional, is considered a loan that the recipient must repay before leaving office,” he added.
Shehu further stated that apart from the president, vice president, senate president, and speaker of the House of Representatives, all public and legislative officials no longer receive housing benefits, which used to be the standard practice.
On Sunday, the Senate responded to former President Olusegun Obasanjo regarding his assertion that lawmakers in both chambers of the National Assembly (NASS) determine their own salaries.
Senate spokesman Yemi Adaramodu urged anyone with credible evidence to present factual contradicting claims and described the idea that the National Assembly sets its own salaries as “uncharitable and satanic.”
Adaramodu emphasized that the red chamber only accepts the salaries allocated by the RMAFC in accordance with the constitution.
On Friday, Obasanjo, who served as Nigeria’s democratically elected President from May 1999 to May 2007, stated that it is “immoral” for federal lawmakers to set their own salaries and allowances, suggesting instead that the RMAFC should hold this responsibility.
