Senate suspends action on proposed 30% pay cut

The Senate today held an executive session to consider the report of the ad hoc committee on finance, recommending a 30 percent cut in the salaries and allowances of lawmakers.

The chamber thereafter stood down the report for “additional input” without giving further details.

On June 25, the Senate President, ‎ Bukola Saraki, had set up the committee to review the finance of the upper chamber of the National Assembly following protests over the alleged N9 billion wardrobe allowance for lawmakers.

Saraki has maintained that the salaries and allowances of members of the Senate would be reviewed to meet current economic realities.

‎The committee, which is chaired by James Manager (Delta South), submitted its report last Thursday.

‎Sensing that the debate on the report would be “stormy”, the Senate apparently kept the session out of the public eye.

‎The session ended exactly two hours after‎ it started and the lawmakers were visibly in a good mood after the meeting, ‎exchanging pleasantries with one another.

‎The Senate president announced afterwards that the report recommending a pay cut for the lawmakers would be “stood down” for additional input.

It was gathered that the lawmakers have not received their salaries and allowances since the review was initiated.

The budget of the National Assembly has been a contentious issue.

Initially, it was put at N150 billion, but owing to lean government revenue, it‎ was reduced to N120 billion.