Former vice president Atiku Abubakar has said the disclosure of Senator Abdulrahman Kawu representing Kano South, that his monthly take home is N21 million in allowances apart from about N1 million in salary has vindicated former President Olusegun Obasanjo who had accused the federal lawmakers of wrongfully fixing their salaries.
Atiku also cautioned Senate President Godswill Akpabio not to victimise Kawu over his disclosure by either suspending him as was done to Senator Abdul Ningi or stripping him of his position as was done to Senator Ali Ndume.
The former vice president said it is ironic that the National Assembly, saddled with the task of making laws for Nigeria, is breaking the law and undermining the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMFAC).
Barely hours after Obasanjo accused the lawmakers of wrongfully fixing salaries and special allowances for themselves, the Senate however challenged Obasanjo to provide evidence of claims that lawmakers determine their own salaries and receive special packages.
However, the RMAFC on Tuesday said each Nigerian Senator collects a total monthly salary and allowances of the sum of N1,063,860 million.
But Senator Kawu on Wednesday said while his salary is below one million naira monthly, he gets N21 million in allowances.
Reacting to Kawu disclosure, Atiku in a statement, said “Senator Sumaila Kawu has courageously stepped up to assert that his monthly take home is N21 million in allowances apart from about N1 million in salary thus vindicating former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s accusation that it was immorally wrong of the Senator Godswill Akpabio-led NASS to fix own salaries and allowances in contravention of the laws of Nigeria.
“The position of Sen. Sumaila (I do hope that the chopping Sen. Akpabio will not suspend him like Ningi or strip him of his position like Ndume) not only confirms what Obasanjo said, it also puts a lie to the official response of the Senate that it does not fix its own salaries and allowances. In an institution populated with lackeys with no balls to hold the reckless executive to account, Sen. Sumaila’s courageous act is worthy of commendation.
“It is, however, ironic that the NASS which is saddled with the task of making laws for the good governance of Nigeria, is the one that is breaking the law and undermining the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMFAC), which is the commission that is constitutionally empowered to fix salaries and allowances of public officials, including members of the NASS. It is the responsibility of the RMFAC to man up and implement the law as it relates to fixing the salaries and allowances of public officials.”
Atiku added that Akpabio and his gang can now see why the hungry and justifiably angry Nigerians took to the streets for 10 days on the #EndBackGovernanceProtest to #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria.
“And for the Dele Alakes of this world, who has stepped up the propaganda machinery of the President Bola Tinubu administration, the “Movement” he alluded to were not focused on forcing a change of government, but to sack the hunger in their stomachs caused by the trial-and-error policies of this administration,” he said.
