Nigerians blast senators for rejecting pay cut

CHIKA NWABUEZE
The senate has come under severe criticisms from stakeholders following its rejection of proposed pay cut in the face of dwindling economic fortunes of Nigeria. Stakeholders and residents of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, have lambasted the senators for their unpatriotic decision at a period of recession. Some said the senators have proved that they are not ready to make sacrifices for the survival of the country.
Speaking in on Thursday in Abuja, some of them described the rejection as insensitivity on the part of the senators, while others advised them to listen to the yearnings of their constituents before supporting or rejecting any decision.
Mr. Thomas Akala, a resident of Kubwa, described the move as self-centeredness on the part of the lawmakers. “I was surprised to learn that these senators actually rejected the move to reduce their outrageous salaries and allowances. This has further proved that these people are there for their selfish
interests, and not to serve the country.
“They are expected to support the decision as a mark of self-sacrifice to mitigate the effect of the sharp drop in federal revenue,” he said. Mr. Aliu Ahmed, a civil servant in Abuja, also condemned the senators’ position.
He advised the Nigerian electorate to screen candidates properly before electing them to the legislature.
“This conduct is disappointing and it defeats the purpose of having a legislative arm of government to serve as a check and balance on the other arms of government.
“I can only advise Nigerians to beware of the kind of individuals they elect into parliament because these ones cannot represent the Nigerian masses,” he said.
Also commenting, Mr. Abas Aminu, also a civil servant, advocated for a unicameral legislature to save cost. “I think we need to re-assess the idea of having two legislative chambers in the first place; the idea of having Senate President and a Speaker at the same time is duplication.
“We can either adopt the American model, where the Vice President is the Senate President, with the speaker heading the Parliament, or the South African model, where there is one chamber.
“In both cases, a lot of revenue will be saved for capital development,” he said.
According to Senator Lekan Balogun, who was a senator between 1999 and 2003, the present lawmakers should know that this is the period when Nigerians wanted a departure from the old order and would want accountability in all facets of our lives. He said he expected members of the national assembly to show good example and join the President and the Vice President in the quest to cut cost of governance.
In his own reaction, the founder of the Odua People’s Congress, OPC, Dr Fredric Fasheun, said he is bitter with the attitude of the lawmakers, who instead of working for the progress of the country are demanding jumbo pay and allowances at the expense of the masses that elected them. He said that pay cut shows some level of commitments.
Fasheun argued that he has always believed and advocated that lawmaking in both the national and state assemblies should be a part-time job. According to him ‘’if you calculate the number of periods they attend their sittings you will agree with me that some of them are only there to collect money and not to do anything else.
This is the reason why some of us are calling for the review of our laws to make legislation a part time and not a full time job.’’
The former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Ikeja branch, Prince Bisi Ade-Ademuwagun also condemned the rejection of pay cut. He added that what they collect is not commensurable with the numbers of hours spent in the work.

It would be recalled that the Senate on Wednesday suspended consideration of the report of its Finance Committee, on the review of the finances of the senate following sharp disagreements among members over the pay cut recommended by the panel. The senators, during deliberation, resolved to reject the reduction of salaries and allowances as recommended by the Senator James Manager Committee.
The report of the review, believed to have recommended the reduction of the legislators’ jumbo pay, was listed in Thursday’s order paper but was later dropped for “executive session” a euphemism for closed-door meeting.
The Senate’s decision to keep the debate out of public glare fueled speculations that the senators were opposed to the downward review of their approved pay and illegal allowances.
Hallmark gathered reliably that the lawmakers eventually debated the issue of budget review behind closed doors, and after which the senate president, Bukola Saraki, announced a suspension of the report of the committee for further legislative input.
Sources disclosed that during the executive session, many of the senators argued against pay cut, saying they have increasing obligations to their constituencies. Some of the members of the senate also argued that there was no need for any review given that the national assembly budget for 2015 has been slashed from N150 billion to N120 billion.
Hallmark reports that Senate President, Saraki had set up the committee on June 25 to review the finances of the senate, in the aftermath of the public outcry over the alleged jumbo allowances being paid to the lawmakers.
However, the Chairman Ad hoc Committee on Media, Dino Melaye, said the lawmakers were committed to cutting their pays. He said, “The Senate is ready to make sacrifices for the purpose of developmental purposes and that has already been indicated even in the Appropriation Act 2015.
“It is the responsibility of the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission to stipulate how much we would be paid.
“But you can be sacrificial as a public officer to say I am taking half of my salary and then taking half back to the treasury. Already, there has been a reduction of N30 billion in the budget of the national assembly.
“And this N120 billion is to be shared among about six, seven organs of the national assembly – the National Assembly Service Commission, the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Institute, the Public Complaints Commission, amongst other arms of the national assembly, including salaries and allowances of the legislative aides, numbering over 3,000.”