Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has dismissed claims that federal lawmakers determine their own allowances.
Rather, he insisted that salaries and official vehicle entitlements for members of the National Assembly were fixed by Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Bamidele was reacting to a court ruling that declared national assembly’s N110 billion SUV and allowance spending unlawful.
NAN recalls that a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos had recently declared unlawful the national assembly’s controversial N110 billion vehicle and allowance schemes.
It ruled that the spending of N40 billion on 465 vehicles for lawmakers and N70 billion in support allowances for newly-elected members breached procurement laws, constitutional obligations and public trust.
The court also ordered the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, to ensure that all future procurements or expenditure of public funds by the national assembly complied strictly with due process requirements.
Bamidele, however, defended the allowances given to the lawmakers, saying they did not have the authority to determine their own remunerations.
According to him, public misconceptions persist because many Nigerians are unaware of how lawmakers’ salaries and allowances are structured.
The senate leader said that salaries and allowances for legislators were fixed by RMAFC and not by the lawmakers themselves.
“Legislators do not determine their own remunerations. Salaries and allowances are fixed by RMAFC,” he said.
Bamidele explained that resources provided for official vehicles and other allowances were largely intended to support lawmakers in carrying out constituency responsibilities and legislative duties rather than for personal benefits.
He called for greater transparency regarding the remunerations of public office holders, saying this would help address misconceptions and improve public understanding.
(NAN)
