**Pressure responsible for N’Assembly jumbo pay – Rep Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, Mr. Jerry Manwe, on Monday defended thejumbo pay of senators and members of the House, blaming it on the people’s “orientation and Nigeria’s style of politics.” Manwe said it was illogical to compare the earnings of Nigerian lawmakers with their counterparts in other climes where people did not place “undue pressure and needless financial demands” on their legislators. A recent comparative analysis byThe Economistplaced the Nigerian lawmakers as the highest paid in the world, ahead of countries like Japan, US, Italy, South Africa, Kenya, and Ghana. A member of the House receives a quarterly allowance of betweenN27.9m and N33m, besides a monthly salary of between N900, 000 and N1.1m. In addition, the lawmakers get furniture allowances and car loans every four years as well as additional votes for constituency office maintenance. Senators take home similar pay packages in rates higher than those of the House members. Manwe suggested that the easiest way to cut the controversial jumbo pay would be through re-orientation of Nigerians to adopt a value change that appreciates politics as a call to service. The Peoples Democratic Party lawmaker said, “Our politics hereis different. Go and check all those countries you compared uswith; how much do they spend to contest election there? “Over there, they go out, sell theirideas and canvass votes. In our case, people think differently. “A situation, whereby a member will spend an average of N150m on an election, is not healthy. But,that is what is happening. Nobody spends less than N100m to run for an election here. “I have heard that there are areas where even local government councillorship contestants spend huge sums of money on election. “So, let us change our orientation; politics is a call to service. Let us see contestants as people who want to serve.” He added, “We are accessible to the people, being their representatives. You cannot havethe same access, say to a minister or some heads of agencies in the executive, whose homes are tightly guarded by security details. “In our case, everybody comes toyou with their issue; some want to take new wives, some want toroof their houses or pay school fees or health bills. “As a legislator, you are expectedto shoulder all these responsibilities. Therefore, when people talk about this jumbo pay,it is laughable.”
Posted on: Tue, 06 Aug 2013 14:59:44 +0000
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