The House of Representatives has debunked news making the rounds that lawmakers are being paid N900,000, News About Nigeria reports.
Speaking for the House, the spokesperson for the Reps, Rotimi Akin, clarified in a statement that lawmakers’ monthly salary is N600,000 as opposed to the N900,000 as speculated.
He said, “The House of Representatives has been inundated by some media outlets reporting claims of discrepancies in the salaries of members, suggesting that we received 100 percent of our July salaries. The report claimed that our salary amounted to N936,979. We wish to clarify that the actual monthly salary for members is N600,000, after deductions for advances such as housing, which are paid at the commencement of the tenure.”
He also reaffirmed the commitment of the House members to the 50 percent deduction in their salaries to reduce hardship.
“We acknowledge and regret that this resolution was not implemented by the bureaucracy as intended for July. Resolutions of the House are ratified when the votes and proceedings of plenary are adopted on the next legislative day. Consequently, the bureaucracy was only formally instructed on July 23,” he added.
Rotimi further explained that the delay in the implementation of the 50 percent deduction in their salaries was due to necessary administrative procedures and coordination with financial institutions.
He urged Nigerians not to believe everything they see on social media, noting that it is most often the handiwork of people whose primary assignment is to discredit the government of the day.
The spokesperson for the House also urged media houses to always verify before reporting social media opinions/claims.
