How 109 Senators Pocket N2 Million Each as Illegal Holiday Bonus, Amid Economic Crisis

Ilesanmi AdekanbiAugust 12, 2023

3 minutes read

The Nigerian senators have received N2 million each as a “holiday bonus” before they went on their seven weeks recess. The payment was made on Monday, August 7, 2023, after the senators finished the screening and confirmation of President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial nominees.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, accidentally revealed the payment during plenary on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, when he said that a “token” had been sent to their accounts by the Clerk of the National Assembly.

“In order to enable all of us to enjoy our holidays, a token has been sent to our various accounts by the Clerk of the National Assembly,” Akpabio said.

He quickly withdrew his statement and said that he meant prayers had been sent to their mailboxes.

“I withdraw that statement. In order to allow you to enjoy your holiday, the senate president has sent prayers to your mailboxes to assist you to go on a safe journey and return.”

However, a source who spoke to Premium Times on condition of anonymity confirmed that bank alerts were received by the senators on August 8, just before Akpabio made his slip. The source said that all 109 senators got N2 million each as a holiday bonus.

Attesting to this fact, Newsflash Nigeria reported earlier that a lawmaker representing Bauchi Central senatorial district, Abdul Ningi revealed how much lawmakers got as a recess ‘token.’

According to Ningi, some lawmakers have gotten N2 million as recess allowance. However, he claimed not to have received his own.

Senator Ningi speaking on the development days after Akpabio’s statement confirmed that some lawmakers had gotten an allowance as earlier hinted.

Speaking with Channels TV, he said, “Nothing has come to my account yet. I heard that some people got N2m but for me, nothing yet. Hopefully [I would get] when they tidy up things.

“Some of these things, if they happen, you don’t broadcast it the way he (Akoabio) did.

“I think it is a huge embarrassment to the Senate President as a person and to the institution of the National Assembly. The Senate President should have gone further to say what the allowances are for. How did he come about the allowances? Who gave the allowances? Is it part of the remuneration?

“I don’t know what N2m would do for a holiday. I find it very difficult to understand what this money is for.”

The source also said that it was not clear if presiding officers also got N2 million each or more. The source said that the payment was not part of their official remuneration package approved by Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), which is authorised by law to prepare salaries and allowances for public servants.

According to RMAFC, what lawmakers are entitled to as a “recess” allowance is 10 per cent of their annual basic salary, which is paid once a year. This means that a senator earns N2,026,400 as basic salary per annum and gets N202,240 as recess allowance per annum.

The basic salary of the senate president per annum is N2,483,242 and his recess allowance is N248,424, while that of his deputy is N2,309,166 and his recess allowance is N230,916.

This implies that the N2 million bonus given to each senator is illegal and amounts to N218 million for all 109 senators. This is more than what they are supposed to get as recess allowance for five years.

This revelation has sparked outrage among Nigerians who have condemned the senators for being insensitive and wasteful at a time when millions of Nigerians are living in poverty and facing economic hardship.

Some Nigerians have called for a probe into the source and legality of the payment and demanded that the senators should refund the money or face legal action. They have also called for a reduction in the salaries and allowances of lawmakers who are considered to be among the highest paid in the world.