Nigerian Senator Earns $1.7m Against U.S President’s $400k Yearly – Oyebola

As Nigerian Senators remain unyielding to a downward review of their “monumental salaries and allowances”, Areoye Oyebola, the Chairman, Movement for Nigeria’s Total Transformation, has noted that each of the lawmakers earn more than the President of the United States.

Oyebola was reacting to the face-off between lawmakers in the upper legislative chamber and Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay.

While describing members of the National Assembly as being insensitive to realities of the Nigerian economy, Oyebola said the yearly take-home of each federal lawmaker in the country is far above that of the United States of America’s President and should be pruned.

“It is strange, unthinkable and very disheartening that a senator, not minding the grinding poverty of Nigerians, earns $1.7m a year, which is far higher than the $400,000 yearly income of the United States’ President, whose stupendous country is the richest in the world. Even a member of the House of Representatives also earns more than the American President. What a tragic and pathetic situation!

“Worse still, each of our National Assembly members earns more than the British Prime Minister, while the pay of a member of Ghana’s unicameral legislature is a very small fraction of our House of Representatives’ member jumbo pay of more than N10m in a month, let alone the monumental quarterly allowances that have led to serious public outcry.

“The multi-million naira earned by the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives even worse, more outrageous and mind-boggling.”

Oyebola further called for a 90 per cent reduction in salaries of lawmakers as well as those of elected public officials.

“As suggested below, for the National Assembly, the President, ministers, state governors, state legislators, chairmen of local governments and councillors should have their pay and allowances reduced to 10 per cent of their present earnings. If effected, each senator’s present earnings of N15m a month will be reduced to N1.5m or N18m a year. A similar 90 per cent reduction should be effected from the pay of members of the House of Representatives,” he said.