The Nigerian Senate has dismissed claims that its members receive a monthly take-home of N21 million, following comments made by Senator Kawu Sumaila (NNPP, Kano South) in a recent interview with the BBC Hausa Service.
The Senate’s clarification comes amid public debate over the actual emoluments of federal legislators.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu, emphasized that the reported figure is misleading and does not reflect the reality of the senators’ earnings.
He clarified that the “running cost” mentioned by Senator Sumaila is distinct from the personal salaries and allowances of the lawmakers, which are determined by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).
Sumaila, in the interview, had claimed that each senator receives N21 million monthly as running costs. He added that his personal monthly salary, after deductions, is just over N600,000.
However, the Senate Spokesman stressed that these running costs are allocated for the effective functioning of the senators’ offices and are not personal income.
Adaramodu noted, “Such funds are retired by relevant officers after being used for official purposes and proof of genuine expenditure. It’s not a personal allowance or salary of the legislator.”
He further explained that these funds are used for maintaining constituency offices, staff, and other statutory obligations, including oversight functions and community engagements.
He pointed out that the concept of running costs is not exclusive to the legislature but is a standard practice across all arms of government, including the executive.
In his statement, Adaramodu expressed the Senate’s displeasure with the persistent narrative that lawmakers are excessively enriching themselves at the expense of the public.
He described the Senate as “an Assembly of accomplished and successful professionals, administrators, and captains of industries, who are not driven by these often touted egregious pecuniary bits, rather for their patriotic zeal in the nation’s quest to breathe life to Nigeria’s political and socio-economic dry bones.”
The Senate’s clarification follows a recent statement by RMAFC Chairman Muhammed Bello, who disclosed that each senator’s official monthly salary and allowances total N1,063,860.
Adaramodu concluded by reiterating that the funds in question are accounted for in the annual budget and are essential for the senators to fulfill their legislative duties effectively, emphasizing that these are not personal emoluments.