Minimum Wage: Nigerian Senator Earns N2.48m Monthly as Basic Salary? Fact Emerges

• The Senate earnings have become controversial since the debate on the new minimum wage has taken over Nigeria's space
• There are claims that Nigerian senator earns N2.48m monthly as a basic salary, and such has been fact-checked
• Citing RMAFC, a fact-check showed that the claim is partially true as the Senate president earned N2.48 million while other senators N2.26 million

Following the increase in the country's cost of living, many Nigerians are lamenting their hardships, and organised labour is fighting for an increase in the minimum wage.

On the other hand, the Senate is the highest lawmaking institution in Nigeria. It is responsible for making and revising the country's laws. It approves federal and judicial appointments but is mostly criticized for its spending.

Minimum wage: Nigerian senators earning

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However, contrasting figures have been reported concerning senators' earnings; it has been claimed that Nigerian senators earn exorbitant amounts compared to their counterparts worldwide.

The debate has continued to gain prominence in the Nigerian public sphere. On June 3, 2024, a Nigerian on X claimed that senators earn monthly basic salaries of N2.48 m.

The tweet reads:

“What a Nigerian Senator Earns monthly for bench-warming: Basic Salary – N2.48m, Hardship Allowance – N1.24m, Constituency Allowance – N4.97m, Furniture Allowance – N7.45m, Newspaper Allowance …But it’s N150,000-N200,000 you can’t pay despite the unbearable inflation & removal of subsidies!”

Basic salaries of Senate president

The claim had been fact-checked by Dubawa, a fact-checking organisation that cited the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), an agency responsible for the establishment and guidelines of political office holders' remunerations.

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In 2007, the commission gave a breakdown of the earnings of the Senate president and its members. According to the breakdown, the Nigerian Senate president earns N2.48 million as their basic salary, while other senators get N2.26 million.

You can read the breakdown in this file.

Senate president challenges Tinubu

Legit.ng earlier reported that Senate President Akpabio has requested that President Bola Tinubu send an executive bill to amend the current procurement act.

According to Akpabio, the current procurement act did not give room for the effective execution of the project and is responsible for the over 14,000 abandoned projects across the country.

Akpabio assured President Tinubu of the full support of the national assembly, adding that he would win his second term in office while sleeping.

Source: Legit.ng