Senators Earn ₦1 Million Monthly, According to the Revenue Commission.
The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) states that senators receive a monthly salary and allowances of ₦1,063,860, comprising both regular and non-regular components.
The commission gave the 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.
RMAFC chair M. B. Shehu clarified on Tuesday regarding a statement by former Senator Shehu Sani, who claimed that each Senator receives a monthly running cost of ₦13.5 million in addition to the ₦750,000 prescribed by the Commission.
Shehu explained that the RMAFC lacks constitutional authority to enforce compliance with lawmakers’ remuneration packages, but noted that this issue is being addressed by the National Assembly.
He distinguished between regular and non-regular allowances, stating that regular allowances are paid alongside basic salaries, whereas non-regular allowances are disbursed as needed. For example, Furniture allowance (₦6,079,200) and Severance Gratuity (₦6,079,200) are paid once per term, while Vehicle allowance (₦8,105,600) is an optional loan repaid before leaving office.
Shehu also mentioned that, apart from the president, vice president, Senate president, and House Speaker, other public and legislative officers no longer receive housing benefits, a change from previous practices.
On Sunday, the Senate responded to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s remarks accusing lawmakers of setting their own salaries.
Senate spokesman Yemi Adaramodu invited anyone with credible evidence to present contradicting facts, labeling the claim that the National Assembly fixes its own salaries as “uncharitable and satanic.”
He emphasized that the red chamber only receives salaries allocated by the RMAFC in accordance with the constitution.
Obasanjo, who served as Nigeria’s President from May 1999 to May 2007, deemed it “immoral” for federal lawmakers to determine their own salaries and argued that the RMAFC should have this responsibility.
