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abujagirl
Guest
The House of Representatives on Wednesday addressed complaints about the jumbo pay of Senators and members of the House. The House of Assembly asked complainants to take their complains to the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), which fixed the salaries and allowances of lawmakers.
Speaking on the issue, Mr. Leo Ogor,Deputy House Majority Leader said “We are tired of responding to the same issue every time; our explanations seem to be falling on deaf ears.
“We didn’t fix our salaries and allowances; that is the role of RMAFC. If you think that our salaries and allowances are too much, ask the agency to slash what they recommended,” Ogor said.
The controversy over the lawmakers jumbo pay was recently reignited when Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesili ,Former Minister of Education and immediate past Vice-President of the World Bank (Africa) said that the country had spent over N1.1tn on their upkeep since 2005.
The National Assembly also kicked against Ezekwesili’s call for a part-time legislature.
Mr. Zakari Mohammed,Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs is quoted saying, “Part-time legislature does not address the cost of governance. People should appreciate what the legislature represents as an institution of democracy, not just salaries and allowances.
“Even in America, where we borrowed our presidential model, they don’t practise part-time legislature there.
“When the legislature is not fully functional, what you are asking for is dictatorship.”