Abuja, Aug. 12, 2024 – The Senate on Sunday denied fixing the salary of its members.
The Senate made the denial while responding to an allegation by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that Senators fix their own salaries.
Obasanjo made the allegation in Abeokuta on Friday while receiving some members of the National Assembly who visited him.
Obasanjo described the act as immoral and unconstitutional.
“You give yourself all sorts of things, and you know it is not right. It is immoral. You’re doing it, the Senate is doing it, and you beat your chest. In some cases, the executive gives you what you’re not entitled to. You all got N200 million,” Obasanjo had alleged.
A statement by the Senate Spokesman, Yemi Adaramodu, challenged anyone with credible evidence of such claim to present his facts, describing the allegation as “uncharitable and satanic.”
The Senate said members received the salary allocated to it by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) in line with the constitution, adding that no Senator had received any financial patronage from the Presidency.
The Senate described the allegations as an attempt to “crucify the legislature by the centurions of political hypocrisy.”
It said that the constituency projects often linked to the legislature were mere suggestions of members and which followed practices common in other democracies worldwide.
“The Executive arm of government, through its various Ministries and agencies, is responsible for awarding contracts for the 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 benefit from federal resources,” the Senate said. (GBN)
