By Godfrey AKON
The Senate, Sunday, described former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s claim of their fixing their own salaries as hypocritical, while denying the claim.
The senators also denied the allegation suggesting it is involved in receiving special fiscal packages from the Presidency.
Obasanjo alleges
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo during a visit by some members of the House of Representatives on him in Abeokuta, Ogun state, last week, described as immoral for the members of the National Assembly to determine their salaries and allowances.
According to Obasanjo, it is the duty of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMFAC) to determine what public officeholders earn.
“Look at your case, with all due respect,” Obasanjo said, “You are not supposed to fix your salaries or your allowances; it is supposed to be done by the RMFAC, but you decide what you pay yourselves, the allowances that you give yourselves — newspaper allowances, pant allowances — you give yourself all sorts of things. With due respect, you know it is not right.
“It is not right for me to be the one to declare and determine what I pay myself. It is immoral, and then you are doing it.
“The senate is doing it, and in some cases, the executive gives you what you are not entitled to. You all got N200 million.”
Senate responds
However, on Sunday, August 11, 2024, Senate spokesman, Yemi Adaramodu, in Abuja, described the allegations as an attempt to “crucify the legislature by the centurions of political hypocrisy.”
Adaramodu stressed that no Senator has received any financial patronage from the Presidency.
He clarified that the constituency projects often linked to the legislature are merely suggested and nominated by Senators, following practices common in other democracies worldwide.
To set the record straight, Adaramodu stressed that the Senate only receives the salary allocated to it by the Revenue Mobilisation Fiscal Allocation Commission, in strict accordance with constitutional provisions.
He added that the Senate challenges anyone with credible evidence to present contrary facts, describing any suggestion that the National Assembly fixes its salaries as “uncharitable and satanic.”
Adaramodu further explained that “the Executive arm of government, through its various ministries and agencies, is responsible for awarding contracts for constituency projects. The funds allocated for these projects vary depending on the number of constituencies in each state, and the intention is to ensure that every region of Nigeria benefits from federal resources.”
As the country enters what some describe as a “season of political pontificating,” Adaramodu assured the public that the 10th Assembly remains a “responsible and responsive chamber.”
He reaffirmed the Senate’s commitment to upholding the economy and growth of Nigeria, insisting that it only receives what is constitutionally allocated to it and would never seek additional perks from other branches of government.
