Senator Ahmed Lawan, President of the Senate, has revealed that he earns N750,000 monthly as a senator.
He, however, said the money is not sufficient as his office needs to be “properly funded” for him to function effectively for his constituents, as well as the head of the National Assembly.
Senator Lawan gave this explanation when members of “The Senators Forum” paid him a courtesy visit at his office in Abuja on Tuesday.
The Senate President said Nigerians need to understand the importance of the legislature in a democratic setting, noting that funding was critical to the institution’s survival.
He stated that contrary to popular belief, the federal lawmakers never received what Nigerians describe as “jumbo pay.”
He said: “I receive N750,000 as my salary. My office needs to be properly funded and therefore I cannot conduct my oversight without some backing.
“Nigerians need to understand this. We need to continue relating with Nigerians because they deserve to be explained to. The national assembly needs proper funding because the legislature is so critical in any national development.”
Admitting that Nigerians have been vociferous about the activities of the federal parliament, Senator Lawan promised to make the ninth National Assembly under his leadership open to all Nigerians.
He also pledged to continue with the OpenNASS initiative started in 2018 by Senator Bukola Saraki, the Senate President of the eighth assembly.
He said: “The ninth national assembly is going to be open so Nigerians will know what we are doing. I never believe there is anything called jumbo pay to the national assembly. The national assembly members receive what is their salary.
“I believe that Nigerians need to understand this, we need to continue to engage with the public, they need to understand what our functions and roles are.
“So I believe that we should continue with OpenNASS; in 2018, we had the first version of it where individuals and NGO’s were invited and we had a lot of activities with the public, we will continue with the tradition and try to enhance it.”
You Must logged in to add comments. Login