Edited by Livingrich Ezeikpe
Nigeria as a country is said to be practising democracy, and one wonders if the activities of the Nigerian senators correspond with the tenets of democracy. The activities that quickly come to mind include among others: attracting contracts from the government, collecting fund for their constituency and embezzle them without embarking on a single project for the constituency. Corruption is so endemic in the upper chamber of the legislative, which is why they don't impeach the executive when he oversteps his bound. The average senator earns as much as twenty-nine million monthly and annual earnings of three billion Naira in one adds other incentives like sitting allowance etc. This is according to the chairman, presidential advisory committee on corruption, professor Itse sagay.
The salary is broken down as follows, the basic salary is two million four hundred and eighty-four thousand two hundred and forty-five naira, hardship allowance is one million two hundred and forty-two thousand one hundred and twenty-two naira, constituency allowance is four million nine hundred and sixty-eight thousand five hundred and nine naira, furniture allowance is seven million four hundred and fifty-two thousand seven hundred and thirty-six naira, newspaper allowance is one million two hundred and forty-two thousand one hundred and twenty-two naira.
Wardrobe allowance is six hundred and twenty-one thousand and sixty-one naira, recess allowance is two hundred and forty-eight thousand four hundred and twenty-four naira, accommodation allowance is four million nine hundred and sixty-eight thousand five hundred naira, utility allowance is eight hundred twenty-eight thousand and eighty-one naira, domestic staff allowance is one million eight hundred and sixty-three thousand one hundred and eighty-four naira, entertainment allowance is eight hundred and twenty-eight thousand and eighty-one.
If you look at the huge salary of a senator, you will see that an average senator in Nigeria is a millionaire and will do anything possible to win an election including using the poor youths as political thugs. All the senators send their children abroad for education and allow schools here to decay because their children don't study here. Most of them don't even come back to their own constituency after election; they only come back when there is another election.
They are only after the huge money given to them as salary and allowances. Most of them do sleep in the house during plenary sessions and do not contribute to the proceedings or debate on the bills that will favour the people. Most senators stay for four years without sponsoring a single bill. The senators don't care about the political, economic and social problems of the people they are representing as long as they get the huge amount of money from the government.
The salary of senators or funding of senators is a total waste of money.
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