A wave of criticism has followed the recent revelation by Senator Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila, who represents Kano South, that he earns a staggering N21 million in allowances each month, alongside a monthly salary of about N1 million.
This revelation has sparked outrage just days after former President Olusegun Obasanjo accused members of the National Assembly of illegally setting their own salaries and allowances.
Senator Sumaila, who chairs the Senate Committee on Sports, made the disclosure during an interview with BBC Hausa Service.
He stated, “My monthly salary is less than N1 million. After deductions, the figure comes down to a little over N600,000. Given the increase in the Senate, each senator gets N21 million every month as running cost.”
His statement contrasts sharply with figures provided by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), the body responsible for determining the salaries and allowances of public officials. On Tuesday, RMAFC Chairman Mohammed Shehu reported that each senator collects a total of N1,063,860 per month, including a basic salary of N168,866.70 and various allowances for motor vehicle maintenance, personal assistants, and domestic staff.
In a statement, Shehu said, “The clarification has become imperative in view of the recent statement made by Mr. Shehu Sani, a former Senator of the Federal Republic who was reported to have disclosed to the public that each Senator collects monthly running cost of N13.5 M in addition to the monthly N750, 000.00 prescribed by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).
“First of all, I wish to state that RMAFC does not have constitutional powers to enforce compliance with proper implementation of the Remuneration package. This lacuna is, however, being addressed by the National Assembly.
“However, a closer look at the monthly entitlement of Senators reveals that each Senator collects a monthly salary and allowances of the sum of N1,063,860:00 consisting of the following: Basic Salary- N168,866:70; Motor Vehicle Fuelling and Maintenance Allowance N126,650:00; Personal Assistant N42,216:66; Domestic Staff-126,650:00; Entertainment-N50,660:00; Utilities-N50,660:00; Newspapers/Periodicals-N25,330:00; Wardrobe-N42,216,66:00; House Maintenance -N8,443.33:00 and Constituency Allowance- N422,166:66; respectively.
“It is instructive to note that some allowances are regular while others are non-regular. Regular allowances are paid regularly with Basic Salary while Non-Regular allowances are paid as at when due. For instance, Furniture allowance (N6,079,200:00) and Severance Gratuity (N6,079,200:00) are paid once in every tenure and Vehicle allowance (N8,105,600:00) which is optional is a loan which the beneficiary has to pay before leaving office.”
The discrepancy between these figures has ignited public outrage, with many questioning the transparency of the Senate’s compensation structure. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) accused the RMAFC of attempting to cover up the excessive earnings of public office holders.
An unnamed NLC official commented, “Is there anything new in this issue of outrageous pay for National Assembly members? Perhaps, the only fresh thing is the fact that RMAFC is shamelessly covering up for public office holders in the looting of public coffers in Nigeria.”
Further criticism came from Chief Chekwas Okorie, founder of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), who demanded that the Senate leadership provide a clear explanation of the discrepancy.
He stated, “The difference between the statement of RMAFC on the N1 million monthly earning of a senator and the disclosure of Senator Abdurrahman Sumaila that he earns N21 million every month is so huge that a clear and unambiguous clarification by the leadership of the Senate is compelling and urgent.”
Chief Peter Ameh, a former presidential candidate and national secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), echoed this sentiment, calling for greater transparency.
“The Senate leadership must come clean about the true status of the amount paid to each senator on a monthly, quarterly, and yearly basis. They are the people’s representatives and must be accountable to the people,” Ameh said.
Despite the growing calls for clarity, the Senate leadership has remained silent. Attempts to reach Senate officials for comment have been unsuccessful, as they have not responded to calls or text messages. Some senators have also refrained from making any public statements on the issue. However, one senator, who spoke anonymously, defended Senator Sumaila’s claims, suggesting that if challenged, the senator could release his pay slips and bank documents to prove his earnings.
This controversy follows earlier disclosures by former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Sani, who revealed that each senator receives a monthly running cost of N13.5 million, in addition to a N750,000 salary, further complicating the already murky picture of lawmakers’ earnings.