Chief Olumide Aderinokun, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Ogun Central Senatorial District candidate has come under fire for saying that two million naira is too small for senators and is no big deal. He made this statement in a tweet on X (formally Twitter) on Monday, the 14th.
According to the Senatorial candidate, “The 2m that was given to senators isn’t a big deal. It is even too small for a senator. What can a family man do with 2m Naira($2k)? Why are we making it a big deal? But they shouldn’t have made it public. Making it public is a bit insensitive to the plight of Nigerians.”
News About Nigeria gathered that during a plenary session on the 7th of August for the screening and approval of ministerial candidates, Senate President Godwill Akpabio informed the senators that the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Magaji Tambuwal, had transferred funds to their bank accounts for their annual holiday.
Reports have deemed the allowance unlawful as it was not included in the official remuneration package by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), the legally authorized body responsible for preparing salaries and allowances for government officials.
Chief Aderinokun has faced heat from X users who waged on the issue. Rinu Oduala @SavvyRinu tweeted “Privileged people may not see it as anything, but if other Nigerians want to complain, let them. 2m is a lot for a government that has refused to cut the cost of governance in a country of people earning $30 monthly.”
Supporting Oduala, Deborah Seye O., @D_Seye said “#2M is a big deal if they’re not being Tone deaf! Why is there an extra allowance “for vacation” for senators in a country where the poverty rate of citizens is multiplying daily? How many of their constituents have access to such? Are Civil servants even paid such?”
@obajemujnr_ tweeted “What can a family man do with $2K?, but 8000 naira is OK for another family man? Our new internal colonial masters are worse than those that took our grandfathers to sugar cane farmland during the slave trade.”
“2M is too small for a Senator but 30K is more than enough for a civil servant while 8K is okay as Pallatives to people with extended families.” _Chief Nomso @Odogwu_Nomso wrote
@UncleMohamz said “With 30k as minimum wage? A principal earns 150-400k per month after 30+ years of working. A Professor earns 400k per month. But 2m is “small”. In a country of allegedly 200m people, I doubt if 100m people have ever owned 1m naira of their own”, NG Politicians for you”
“It’s either you’re being sarcastic or you’re passing a message of what your target for trying to get to the Senate is and it’s not to help the people.”_@ ManLikeLight_ wrote
