Members of the National Assembly on Wednesday said they welcomed the decision of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission to review downward the salaries and allowances of members of the National Assembly. The House of Representatives said a pay cut would be a “relief” to lawmakers in many respects, including restoring the dignity of the legislature in the country.
It noted that it was “disgusting” to hear Nigerians call their legislators “looters” and “thieves” on account of the salaries and allowances worked out for them by an agency of the government empowered by law to do so.
The Chairman of RMAFC, Mr. Elias Mbam, had on Tuesday disclosed that a new pay package, reflecting cuts in the remuneration of public service officers would be released in September.
Mbam said the National Assembly as an arm of the public service that would be affected in the planned pay cut.
“We expect that before the end of next month, it will be ready. But, it will go through a process; it is not something that you will just say ‘yes or no. It will go through a process and it should be obvious to you the economic realities of the day and it is going to reflect that.”
On whether he thought senators and members of the House of Representatives would welcome the pay cut, he said;
“They (senators and Representatives) do not have a choice. We are guided by the 1999 Constitution and we are going to be guided by such laws that are provided for in the Constitution. They swore to obey the laws of the country.”
(Credit: Punch)
No comments:
Post a Comment