House: Delay in Implementation of 50% Reduction Lawmakers’ Salary Due to Administrative Procedure

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The House of Representatives has said the delay in implementation of its 50 per cent reduction in the salary of lawmakers for a period of six months was  due to necessary, “administrative procedures and coordination with financial institutions.”

The spokesperson of the House, Hon. Akin Rotimi, in a statement issued yesterday, assured Nigerians that instructions for adjusting salaries had since been issued and would be enforced moving forward to ensure “our pledge is fully realised.”

He said: “It has come to our notice that some media outlets are reporting claims of discrepancies in the salaries of members of the House of Representatives, suggesting that we received 100 per cent of our July salaries, amounting to N936,979, despite pledging to donate 50 per cent of N600,000 for six months to efforts to ameliorate the conditions of our constituents.

“The actual monthly salary for Honourable Members is N600,000, after deductions for advances such as housing, which are paid at the commencement of the tenure.

“The Honourable Member who displayed his salary on a TV programme is an exceptional case, as he assumed office through a court decision many months after the on-boarding process was concluded.”

Rotimi, noted that the House remained committed to the resolution passed on July 18, 2024, which mandated a 50 per cent reduction in the salaries of Members for six months.

He acknowledged and regretted that this resolution was not implemented by the bureaucracy as intended for the month of July.

The spokesperson noted: “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, 2024.

“This delay in implementation was thus due to necessary administrative procedures and coordination with financial institutions.

“Instructions for adjusting salaries have since been issued and will be enforced moving forward to ensure our pledge is fully realised.”

Rotimi maintained that there was nothing to investigate, as some media houses reported, as the House position on this matter had been provided to some journalists who had reached out for clarification.

“We appreciate your patience and assure you of our steadfast adherence to our pledge, and sustained efforts to earn the trust and confidence of all Nigerians,” he said.