Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has commended the members of the House of Representatives for slashing their salaries by 50% for six months.
In a statement posted on his X official page, Atiku said the real issue is not the salaries of lawmakers and government officials, but the allowances and wastage in government.
Earlier on Thursday, members of the House of Representatives resolved to slash their salaries by 50 percent due to the pervasive economic hardship across the country.
News About Nigeria reports that he described the move as a “drop in the ocean.”
Atiku called for an across-the-board cut in expenses, saying that the country can no longer afford to borrow money to fund continued irresponsibility in government.
He also questioned the implementation of the Oronsaye Report, which recommended the reduction of government agencies and parastatals.
Atiku’s statement was in reaction to the move by the House of Representatives to slash their salaries by 50% for six months due to the economic hardship in the country.
The lawmakers earn N600,000 monthly but also receive huge sums in allowances and other perks.
Atiku said: “The sacrifice of members of the House of Representatives is commendable. But it is a drop in the ocean. The demons are in the allowances and not the salaries of lawmakers and government officials in general. Whatever happened to the much-trumpeted implementation of the Oronsaye Report? Recently, the ballooning of MDAs with the attendant cost implications has been observed. There’s too much wastage and prioritisation of non-essential expenditures. What is desirable is an across the board cut in expenses. We can no longer afford to borrow money to fund continued irresponsibility in government.”
