The senator representing Kano South Sumaila Kawu has accused ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo of introducing corruption to the National Assembly.
Obasanjo last week accused the lawmakers of fixing their salaries and allowances amid the biting economic hardship in Nigeria.
But Kawu, who has been in the news recently over his comment about what the federal lawmakers receive, faulted Obasanjo’s remark.
“When you are talking about corruption, it is Obasanjo who introduced corruption into the National Assembly,” Senator Kawu said on Thursday’s edition of Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sport doubled down on his claims.
“I have proof because it is his government and his associates who corrupted some members of the National Assembly for them to alter the Constitution for him to continue [to contest for a third term as president],” he said on the show.
The salaries and allowances of lawmakers have been shrouded in secret, triggering heated debates.
The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) that each senator earns N1 million amid calls to know what the lawmakers take home.
It gave a breakdown of the salary and allowances of each senator as: Basic Salary – ₦168,866:70; Motor Vehicle Fuelling and Maintenance Allowance – ₦126,650:00; Personal Assistant – ₦42,216:66; Domestic Staff -₦126,650:00; Entertainment – ₦50,660:00; Utilities – ₦50,660:00; Newspapers/Periodicals – ₦25,330:00; Wardrobe – ₦42,216,66:00; House Maintenance – ₦8,443.33:00 and Constituency Allowance – ₦422,166:66; respectively.
Days after the comment, Senator Kawu, however, said each senator takes home N21 million monthly.
A former lawmaker who represented Kaduna Central also shared a similar sentiment, calling for transparency in what the National Assembly members earn.
“Before I came to this interview, I was going through the papers and I saw a statement credited to one of the Senators from Kano, Distinguished Senator Kawu Ismaila, who confirmed what I said about senators, particularly of this set receiving up to N21 million monthly,” Senator Sani said on Channels Television Lunchtime Politics.
“During my time, I was in the Senate and I was pricked by my conscience as an activist who went to the Senate to unveil what has been made secret for over two decades. I believe that taxpayers and Nigerians in general have the right to know how much their legislators are earning and how much they are actually been given. I went on as a serving Senator then to disclose what I do receive monthly, what is credited into my account at that time and it was N13.5 million.”
‘Uncharitable’
Following Obasanjo’s claim about the lawmakers fixing their salaries and allowances, the National Assembly described the comment as uncharitable.
The Senate spokesman Yemi Adaramodu challenged those with credible evidence to present contrary facts. He said the lawmakers get salaries and allowances as fixed by RMAFC in line with the Constitution.
“To straighten the records, the Senate receives only the salary allocated constitutionally by the Revenue Mobilisation Fiscal Allocation Commission. We challenge anyone who is privileged, either in a qualified or absolute position to bring forth any contrary fact,” he said in a statement.
“The Senators or the National Assembly do not and cannot fix their salaries. Any suggestions contrary is uncharitable and satanic. It’s only an attempt to crucify the legislature by the centurions of political hypocrisy. It’s pertinent to inform the unsuspecting public that no Senator has received any monetary patronage from the Presidency.”
