Senate announces 10 per cent cut in members' salaries

The Senate on Tuesday announced a 10 percent cut in the basic salary of its members to cushion the effects of the global financial meltdown.

Umaru Yar'Adua, the Nigerian President, had in January announced a reduction in the salaries and allowances of political office holders and directed the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to work out the modalities.

Briefing newsmen in Abuja, Ayogu Eze, Chairman, Senate Committee on Information and Media, said that a committee had been set up to liaise with the RMAFC on the Senate's decision.

"In response to the President's proposal, the Senate has set up a small committee to look at the issue and the legal technicalities.

The committee is liaising with the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission and we have given it a mandate to cut our basic pay by 10 percent," he added.

Mr. Eze said that the decision of the senators to have a 10 percent reduction in their salaries was borne out of the desire to respect the aspirations of Nigerians, adding that such deductions could be used in providing social amenities for them.

"We are happy to have our basic salaries reduced to cushion the impact of the global financial meltdown," he said.

On Yar'Adua's concern about the implementation of the 2009 budget, Mr. Eze said that the National Assembly was constitutionally empowered to monitor the budget's implementation. He said that the Committee on Appropriation was already carrying out an oversight function on the budget. "Everybody is worried and concerned about the implementation of the budget and we hope that the implementation of this year's budget will be better," he said.

On the face-off between the military Joint Task Force and the Niger Delta militants, Mr. Eze said that the Senate was still studying the situation. "We should not just rush to react to everything we read in the newspapers because it may not be 100 per cent accurate. We are monitoring the situation and at the appropriate time, the Senate will make a pronouncement on it," he added.

Mr. Eze appealed to the media not to blow the alleged bribery of some members of the Senate by some oil companies in Ghana out of proportion.

"The Minister of Petroleum Resources has denied such allegation and the Special Adviser to the President on Petroleum has also denied making the allegation. The Senate has directed its Committee on Ethics and Public Petitions to investigate the allegation and we should wait for the outcome of the probe.

Members of the Senate are, however, complaining that they are being ridiculed by the reports in the media, he said.