Accusations that the Nigerian Senate decides its own wages or accepts preferential financial aid from the Presidency have been refuted. These allegations, which surfaced during a visit by House of Representatives members to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, have generated a great deal of public discussion.
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Senate Spokesman Yemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South) referred to the accusations as an attempt to “crucify the legislature by the centurions of political hypocrisy” in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja.
Adaramodu stated that constituency initiatives related to the legislature are only suggested and nominated by Senators, following practices prevalent in other democracies worldwide, and emphasised that no Senator has received any financial patronage from the Presidency. Adaramodu emphasised that the Senate strictly adheres to constitutional norms and only receives the pay allotted to it by the Revenue Mobilisation Fiscal Allocation Commission. He called any allegation that the National Assembly sets its wages “uncharitable and satanic,” and he challenged anyone with solid proof to offer the opposite views. Adaramodu went on to say that contracts for constituency projects are given out by the Executive branch of government via its many ministries and agencies.
He stressed that the Senate continues to be a “responsible and responsive chamber” dedicated to maintaining Nigeria’s economic growth and development, and that it only gets the resources stipulated in the Constitution—that is, it does not look to other arms of government for extra benefits.
