Members of the House of Representatives have succumbed to calls by Nigerians demanding a reduction in their salaries, allowances and running cost.
At an interactive session with journalists yesterday in Lagos, the House chairman, Ad-hoc Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Sani Zorro, said the members had “succumbed” to the wishes of Nigerians because they want their integrity protected.
“We have very much appreciated the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari and his deputy in announcing pay-cuts in their earnings. I want to say categorically that the House of Representatives, having taken cognizance of the criticism of its budget by many Nigerians, has decided to holistically review funding of activities of its members. This review will also result in right-sizing of various aspects of our activities. We have already put in motion, a mechanism to achieve that.
“This will also result in drastic cut of our finances, be it salaries, allowances or running cost. This simply means we are submitting to the wishes of Nigerians as a responsible and very sensitive legislative house. We can no longer ignore popular observation and wishes of our people who elected us in the first instance. Even if the measures we will consider will inconvenience us, we will rather make that sacrifice and respect the views of Nigerians once and for all. This is because we are sensitive to the demands of Nigerians. We are also conscious of our integrity in line with the leadership of Hon. Yakubu Dogara who wants to lead by example, we are also ready to lead by example. And the reason being that, we are very conscious of our own integrity”, Zorro said.
On the criticism that lawmakers often embarked on recess while having little time for official work, the interim House spokesman said that is not true.
According to him, many Nigerians are not aware of the fact that legislative works surpass plenary sittings which they often watch on television.
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