Protesters demand 60% pay cut for NASS members, political appiontees
Protests against the salary and allowances of legislators in front of the National Assembly gate in Abuja today 23/06/15. PHOTO: Ladidi Lucy Elukpo.
• Seek part-time legislature
Placard-wielding protesters yesterday thronged the major gate leading to the National Assembly(NASS) located in the three arms zone in Abuja demanding a 60 per cent slash in salaries and allowances for federal lawmakers and all political appointees in the country.
The protesters under the aegis of a civil society organization, Conscience Nigeria, also demanded that legislative business should be structured in a way that members carry out their task on a part-time basis considering the high cost of maintaining the National Assembly and frequent recess embarked on by federal lawmakers.
Also, hundreds of job applicants besieged the National Assembly seeking employment as aides to the lawmakers who yesterday reconvened for legislative duties in the two chambers of the parliament.
This is as the special ad-hoc committee on Welfare last week completed its task of allocation of offices for 360 members of the lower chamber who are expected to represent their constituencies for the next four years.
Meanwhile, the Senate yesterday disclosed that it would soon set up an 18- man ad-hoc committee to review the National Assembly’s budget.
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7 Comments
The protesters are generous to NASS. A situation where an average hard-working Nigerian university graduate earns a salary of about N360,000 per annum ( an amount less than what a NASS’s house dog or pet spends per annum) calls for ALL legislators ( federal, state, and LGAs) be on voluntary services just like the NYSC members serve their fatherland. Allowances should be paid to NASS members and certificate of service given to them for those who had meritorious services. This will save the country a lot of money and bring out those who genuinely want to serve their fatherland and not themselves.
50 percent pay cut is okay. A senator can’t starve on $75K per year salary. Savings of about 70 billion Naira. The NNPC should also repay the $1.48 billion that is missing. The goal is to reduce the recurrent expenditure by about 900 billion Naira. We need a capital expenditure of about 2 trillion Naira for projects and the welfare scheme. We should also look at selling the refineries, stadiums, presidential jets, steel plant, National theater and other non essential assets to raise funds and to reduce cost of maintenance.
Buhari should focus on
1. Expansion of the grid capacity.
2. Rural solar electrification project.
3. Development of the mining, textile and agriculture sector.
4. Getting gas to the power plants.
5. IPP projects in each state.
6. Fixing federal roads.
7. Rural irrigation projects
8. National High speed rail project.
9. Improving power transmission infrastructure around the country.
10. Modernizing our Air force, police and other security agencies.
The unholy activities both ongoing and previous in the NASS or House of Representatives (HoR) are true testament that no one in the country will feign ignorance about. Barely three weeks now, NASS or HoR are yet to learn the lessons of the past, but rather they are busy fighting for themselves to gain positions, forgetting that ‘’those who repeat the past history are already doomed to repeat it’ The question still is when will these unholy Assembly members learn?. This morning the
Channel TV beamed a fight aside the NASS fracas in one of the assemblies down in Benue state showing unholy not honourable men throwing punches and kicks, is that the kind of Assembly the country should put jumbo pay on? Be my guest! Might be what is left to be added in their fast allowances is ‘’Fight’’ allowance. The truth is, all Nigerians should arise and speak for this injustice! and those beamed in the fight scenes should be sanctioned for 10 years from contesting any political offices and part-time legislation should be implemented.This will serves the country a lot of trouble and effective costs cut.
Hahaha some ar rlly Nt in this world, to be a member in administration required act of management here we have fools who dnt kw any thing abt governing,those who cnt manage, government who cnt govern,
we ask you peoples to inform us when you are going, we will do it together. by the time we get there, they will die.
Where is the Wardrobe Allowance? Make them bring am make we share. See all of una as una carry banner hang for there Like like Ebola Patients wey dem wan discharge from hospital. if any one of una close relatives dey d house as senator or Rep. Wether una go follow for d rally. Shebi na bcos hand dey touch una and una neva get chance to near where dem dey share money, na him make una dey do eye service there…………………………He who is without sin let him cast the first stone………………bloody hypocrites……………………una no go go find work do, una dey do rally up and down. ……………..abeg make d senators share d money………………….like sey una no collect money from d law makers during election campaign…………………una dey maaaad there………………..shegu en banza kowai
Saraki has rubbished the only good thing GEJ did by not contesting election result.Saraki’s selfishness is the cause of trouble we are having in the national assembly.
We will review and take appropriate action.