President
Goodluck Jonathan, Vice-President Namadi Sambo, non-returning federal
lawmakers, ministers and presidential aides will collect N3.24bn as
severance allowances, investigation by The Punch has shown.
The
severance allowances are contained in the Remuneration Package put
together by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission.
According
to the package, Jonathan, who will hand over to the President-elect,
Muhammadu Buhari, on May 29, is entitled to 300 per cent of his annual
basic salary.
The President’s annual basic
salary is put at N3, 514,705 and therefore his severance allowance will
be N10, 544,115 after May 29.
The severance allowance is without prejudice to his other constitutional entitlements as a former head of government.
Similarly,
Vice-President Sambo, who leaves office the same day as Jonathan, is
also entitled to 300 per cent of his annual basic salary put at N3,
031,572.50. This means that his severance allowance after May 29 is N9,
094,717.50.
For having held the office of vice-president, Sambo also has some constitutional entitlements and perks.
About
76 senators are not returning to the National Assembly either because
they did not stand for election or because they lost their bids to
return. They are however entitled to N462,019,200 at the expiration of
their tenure on June 5.
Like Jonathan and Sambo, they are
entitled to 300 per cent of their annual basic salaries as severance
allowances. This amounts to N6, 079,200 per senator.
In the
House of Representatives, about 290 members are not returning to the 8th
National Assembly to be proclaimed into existence by Buhari on June 5.
Each
of the members is entitled to N5, 955,637.50 as severance allowance.
This means that the 290 members will be paid N1, 727,134,875.
The
ministers, on the other hand, will be collecting a total of N253,
967,212.5. There are 42 ministers in Jonathan’s cabinet. Thirty one of
them are senior ministers and 11 are ministers of state.
Each of
the senior ministers is entitled to N6, 079,200 severance allowance
while each of the ministers of state will receive N5, 872,740.
This
means that collectively, the senior ministers will get N188, 455,200 at
the expiration of their tenure on May 29 while collectively, the
ministers of state will be collecting N65, 512,012.5 .
The aides
to the President comprising special advisers, senior special assistants
and special assistants will get N775, 207,125.
There are
23 of them who work with the president as special advisers. Apart from
this number, however, there are several others estimated at 110, who
work with the vice-president, the First Lady(Patience Jonathan) and
special advisers that are designated either as senior special assistants
or special assistants to the President.
This means that there
are about 133 aides to the president and each of them is entitled to 300
per cent of their annual basic salary which amounts to N5, 828,625.
The
Nigerian democracy has been identified as one of the costliest in the
world as a result of a large number of political office holders.
Some
experts, for instance, think that a cabinet, made up of 42 ministers,
is too large. However, constitutionally, each of the 36 states is
expected to be represented in the Federal Executive Council.
Bicameralism
is another source of worry for many observers who believe that Nigeria
can do with one chamber of the National Assembly. Some Nigerians have
called for part-time legislature as a means of saving cost.
However,
the worry of many Nigerians is not what the lawmakers earn monthly but
what accrues to them through self-appropriation and constituency
projects.
Two activist lawyers – Jiti Ogunye and Ebun-Olu
Adegboruwa – faulted the basis for earmarking such an amount of money
for such purposes in the face of the economic challenges the country is
grappling with.
While Adegboruwa argued that the political
office holders were not entitled to any severance allowance given what
they earned as salaries and benefits while in office, Ogunye called for a
drastic cut in the allowances.
Adegboruwa said that since the
political office holders had been paid what could sustain them and
their families for the rest of their lives, they were no longer
entitled to severance allowance.
He said, “I believe that given
the monumental and outrageous salaries, benefits and allowances that are
being paid to the outgoing members of this executive, the legislators
especially the House of Representatives, senators and ministers, I
believe they should save Nigerians from the luxury of any outrageous
allowance.
“This incoming government needs a lot of resources to
fulfil its campaign promises. Our incoming government is likely to
remain stagnant for now. Nigeria cannot afford the luxury in the name of
severance allowance. Our people are suffering. They should have mercy
on Nigeria. What they have taken is enough to sustain them and their
families for the rest of their lives.”
Ogunye said, “While the
RMAFAC could have its own scale, guidelines and parameters for
determining those political office holders who qualify for these
severance benefits and the quantum each of them and all of them should
recieve, we cannot but point out that this amount, in the circumstances
of our dire economic situation, is outrageous.
“It is carrying
the culture of profligacy and corruption in the conduct of our public
affairs too far. At this point of economic recession and dwindling oil
revenue, RMFAC ought to be chiefly concerned with revenue mobilisation
to cater for the shortfall in the funding of the yet to be passed 2015
Appropriation bill.
“We suggest a drastic cut in the amount.
Political office holders do not necessarily serve Nigeria more and
better than school teachers, lecturers, judges, health workers et cetra,
who take home modest gratituities and pensions after 35 years of
service.”
The Publicity Secretary of the pan-Yoruba group,
Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, said, “It is unjust and morally
reprehensible for these officials, who mostly have fleeced the public
till with veracious rapacity to legislate crazy retirement benefits.
“It
is nothing but robbing the public for people who lived off the state
for four or eight years to want to become permanent liability on the
system.
“This is a country where civil servants who served the
country for 35 years are queuing to death for pensions that mostly
remain unpaid. There are no serious countries in the world where public
officials earn what ours take not to talk of the sickening retirement
benefits they ask for.”
Credit: Punch
Waste of resources after dey hv looted trillions wz dere cronies.
ReplyDeleteWaste of resources after dey hv looted trillions wz dere cronies.
ReplyDelete