Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered that lawmakers’ salaries must reflect the economic reality in the country.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has been ordered to fix the salaries and allowances of the 469 members of the National Assembly(NASS), to reflect the economic realities of Nigeria.
The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos gave this order on Friday and also ruled that the National Assembly Service Commission has no power to determine the allowances and remuneration of lawmakers.
Justice Chuka Obiozor delivered the judgment via zoom in the consolidated suits brought by two legal Practitioners, Monday Ubani and John Nwokwu, and more than 1,500 concerned Nigerians through the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), BudgIT and Enough is Enough Nigeria (EiE).
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Human Rights Activist, Femi Falana led the team to secure the victory which was described as a landmark judgment.
The filing of the suits followed the reports that NASS members receive running costs and allowances which are not determined by RMAFC, adding that such allowances are illegal because they are far above what the RMAFC specified.
In 2018, while Shehu Sani was the Senator of Kaduna Central, he disclosed that: “each senator receives N13.5 million monthly as running cost in addition to over N750,000.00 monthly consolidated salary and allowances.”
An online publication further revealed that each senator receives the sum of N200m as a constituency project allowance.
However, the Lawmakers filed a defence in denial of ever collecting such an amount but refused to disclose the amount they collect to the court.
Also, the NASS Commission in their defense denied paying such an amount to the members, challenging the locus standi of the plaintiffs to institute the action against them.
Nevertheless, Justice Obiozor overruled these objections and held that in line with the constitution, the RMAFC should do a downward review of the salaries, remuneration, or allowances of the members of NASS to reflect the economic realities in the country.
In addition, the court also proposed that since the lawmakers have denied receiving the huge pays, the EFCC should look at their books and persecute them if the jumbo pay reflects in their accounts.
NASS comprises 469 members; 109 in the upper house (Senate) and 360 in the lower house (House of Representatives).
