constitute the 8th National Assembly and ministers to be appointed by
President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), will on assumption of
office receive welcome perks amounting to N9bn.
The perks of office include the housing allowance which each of the
incoming office holder is entitled to receive once a year, the
furniture allowance which they are entitled to once in four years and
motor vehicle loan which they are entitled to once in their tenure.
The perks are some of the non-regular allowances that the political
office holders are entitled to as prescribed by the Revenue
Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission.
There are other allowances, both regular and irregular ones, but
housing, furniture and motor vehicle are paid at the beginning of the
tenure of the office holders to ensure that they settle down
appropriately.
Housing allowance for the political office holders is 200 per cent of
their annual salaries; furniture is 300 per cent and motor vehicle
loan is 400 per cent.
The eighth National Assembly will be inaugurated by Buhari on June 5
after the expiration of the tenure and dissolution of the 7th National
Assembly on the same date.
Membership of the eighth National Assembly include 109 senators and
360 members of the House of Representatives elected on the platform of
different political parties from across the country.
Investigation by one of our correspondents showed that each of the
senators would be paid N4, 052,800 on the assumption of office as
housing allowance. They will also be paid the same amount every year
because the housing allowance is on annual basis.
This means that 107 senators will be paid a total of N433, 649,600m as
housing allowance annually.
The Senate President and the Deputy Senate President are not entitled
to this allowance because their own accommodation is to be provided by
the Federal Government.
Similarly, each member of the House of Representatives will be paid
N3, 970,425 as housing allowance on assumption of office.
This means that the 358 representatives will be collecting a total of
N1, 421,412,150 as housing allowance. Again, the Speaker and Deputy
Speaker of the House of Representatives are excluded from this
allowance as the Federal Government is to provide their own
accommodation.
Following the monetisation of entitlements of public officials, the
lawmakers lost the right to occupy houses built and maintained by the
government. Consequently, the Federal Government sold the houses
previously occupied by the lawmakers to them.
The principal officers of the National Assembly also benefited from
the sale of the houses. As a result, the Federal Capital Territory
Administration is at present building new houses for the lawmakers
that will emerge as the Senate President, the Deputy Senate President,
the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker.
For furniture, each of the senators is to get N6, 079,200. The
furniture for both the Senate President and his deputy are to be fully
provided by the government. This means that 107 senators will get a
total of N650, 474,400 as furniture allowance. Furniture allowance is
paid once in four years.
Each member of the House of Representatives will be paid N5,
955,637.50 as furniture allowance. This means that 358 representatives
(excluding the speaker and his deputy) will collect a total of N2,
132,118,225 for furniture.
For vehicle, each of the senators is entitled to N8, 105,600 while
each representative is entitled to N7, 940,850.50. This means that 107
senators will collect N867, 299,200 for vehicle while 358
representatives will collect N2, 842,824,479 for the same purpose.
The allowance for vehicle had been controversial. According to RMAFC,
this allowance payable once in four years is a loan for any member
that wants. This means that it is repayable.
In 2007, each senator had been given the loan to purchase vehicles.
Few months after they had received the loan, the current Senate
President, David Mark, demanded that the money totalling about N856m
should be converted to grants for official cars.
Mark made the request in a letter addressed to the Chairman of the
Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission.
In the letter dated November 15, 2007 and titled "Monetisation policy
as it affects senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria," Mark said
the senators were not properly briefed that the money was given to
them as loan.
He said if senators had known that the money was loan, they would have
had the opportunity to exercise the choice of refusal.
Read more at PUNCH:
http://www.punchng.com/news/buharis-ministers-lawmakers-to-get-n9bn-housing-furniture-allowance/
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