The monthly salary of a member of the House of Representatives is N600,000 and not the N900,000 that is being speculated, House spokesman Akin Rotimi has said.
In a statement yesterday in Abuja, Rotimi reaffirmed the commitment of the Green Chamber to the 50 per cent deduction in the salary of its members to reduce hardship.
“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 per cent 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,” Rotimi said.
The House spokesman explained that the member who displayed his salary on a TV programme was an exceptional case because he assumed office through a court decision many months after the on-boarding process had been concluded.
He said the House remained committed to the resolution passed on July 18, which stipulated a 50 per cent reduction in the salaries of members for six months.
“We acknowledge and regret that this resolution was not implemented by the bureaucracy, as intended, for the month of 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,” Rotimi said.
According to him, the delay in the implementation is due to necessary administrative procedures and coordination with financial institutions.
The House spokesman added that instructions for adjusting members’ salaries had been issued and would be enforced, moving forward, to ensure that its pledge is fully implemented.
“There is nothing to investigate, as some media houses reported. The House’s position on this matter had been provided to some journalists who had reached out for clarification,” he said.
Rotimi called for patience among members of the public, assuring of the House’s steadfast adherence to its pledge and sustained efforts to earn the trust and confidence of all Nigerians.