- Last month under a pro-rata arrangement for quarterly allowance covering June, Senators got N13. 4 million each and representatives, N7million each.
- The amount, which was to cover their expenses on housing, transport and furniture, cost the public about N4.6billion.
- The Senators and the representatives were first paid N10milion each in June to ‘cushion’ the difficulty of settling down in Abuja.
- The 109 senators got N36.4 million each; the 360 members of the House of Representatives received N25 million each.
- The nation may have spent about N12, 967, 600,000 in two months to maintain National Assembly members, who were inaugurated on June 9, it has been learnt.
- Since their inauguration, the legislators have gone on recess three times. Before going on break last Thursday, Senators got N13 million each and representatives, N8 million. They have yet to pass a bill since they began sitting in June.
- Their inauguration was followed by the controversial emergence of Senators Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu as Senate President and Deputy President.
- Yakubu Dogara and Lasun Yusuf were also picked as House Speaker and Deputy Speaker against the wish of their party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
- Last Wednesday, senators disagreed on the recommendation by the Finance Committee to cut their salary and allowances.
- The James Manager-led committee had recommended a 30 percent cut which, if accepted,would have saved tax payers about N2billion yearly .
Source: The Nation