in

Outrage greets NASS members N506,000 wardrobe allowance

Nigerians have condemned the controversial N506,000 wardrobe allowance for senators and members of the House of Representatives. Calling on the leadership of the National Assembly to even reject any form of allowance beside their already outrageous basic salary, the said the welfare of poorly remunerated civil servants should rather be given consideration.

‘That’s outrageous!’ – PAUL AGUDOZIE

That’s outrageous! How can those people who do nothing other than sit and make noise or read newspapers during sessions be paid that much just for their clothes? Imagine what that money could do for the average person. And this is despite more than half of our states owing salaries.

By no means, it is not justifiable. So, you mean their basic salaries cannot be used to buy clothes for themselves. With things like this, it’s no surprise if during electioneering these people go the ends of the earth to secure victory. The office is too lucrative.

‘I feel our leaders have misplaced priorities’ – RUTH OSARO

I am still trying to wrap my head around the unreasonable sum being mentioned in the media. All for just clothes? Does it mean they will wear the clothes just once in their life? It absolutely makes no sense, especially with civil servants in various states suffering as they have not been paid their salaries for months.

I feel our leaders have misplaced priorities, monies meant for common good is spend on fulfilling the lust and desires of a powerful few.

‘They should all leave Abuja and come back home if…’ – OBI MITCHELL

It’s annoying that our so-called leaders don’t even understand the reason they’re elected into offices. I don’t see any justification for any wardrobe allowance at all with the current economic situation of our country. If truly they’re in that Assembly to serve Nigerians as they have made us to believe, they should have even forgone the allowance and face reality of our time.

After all, majority of them are in APC and I don’t think the kind of change the party promised is what they’re exhibiting now. They should all leave Abuja and come back home if they know they can’t serve without the wardrobe allowance.

If such a huge amount is set aside for a meaningful project, I believe it will reduce Nigeria’s problems.

‘I don’t support any wardrobe allowance for our lawmakers’ – KAREEM OLABIYI

I don’t support any wardrobe allowance for our lawmakers. Don’t they have enough clothes. How many of them are new there? Most of them had held one political office or the other. Some of them are there for the second or third term. So, why are we deceiving ourselves?

They should come back home if they don’t have clothes to wear. It’s stupid and reckless for them to be happy collecting that from the limited resources which can’t even be enough for Nigerians to cater for our needs. They’re not even ashamed.

‘The allowances for lawmakers should be reviewed’ – DR CHIEMELU ERONDU

There is the need to review the allowance of lawmakers. It is not all about wardrobe allowance. Their pay should be reviewed. A situation where civil servants are being owed and politicians are enjoying over 50 percent of national revenue is not acceptable.

‘The media’s misinforming the public’ – LANRE ODUKOYA

First, the social media claimed it was N9.8 billion! Now, it’s N506,000. My take is that this time does not call for any allowance at all. The lawmakers should only take home their basic salary.

‘There is no way the politicians would not continue to approve jumbo pay for themselves’ – KAYODE SALAKO

Realistically governance in a democracy is supposed to be more of service to the people, but in our own country, it is more about service to the political leaders, and the rest, frustration to the people. There is no way the politicians would not continue to approve jumbo pay for themselves. We all know how much many of them spend to contest in elections.

And it is normal for them to want to recoup their investments. That is why Nigeria has not been developing infrastructurally and economically as it is supposed to be. How can Nigeria ever develop or get it right when 72 percent of the nation’s resources is spent on recurrent expenditure.

What can the remaining 28 percent do for Nigeria? Nigerian politicians will pay themselves 72 percent and “kindly” leave the rest for Nigeria and Nigerians to “develop”. Until something drastic is done about the culture of impunity jumbo pay for the politicians, Nigeria can only be existing for only the politicians and never the rest of us.

And I will blame some of these aberrations on the Nigerian electorates as well. For as long as it is only people who have money that win our votes, there is nothing we can do about it. Nigeria would continue to be like this. Politicians would always recoup their investments from our common wealth.

A country where Nigerians deliberately vote in commercial politicians; political gangsters and law breakers as law makers can only but continue to lose their common wealth to them through the jumbo pays they will always allocate for themselves.

The wardrobe allowance is just as tiny of what the law makers take home. What of all the other heavy jumbo ones Nigerians don’t know about, and will never know about. Until we stop voting in only people who have the money, we cannot get a country where the leaders would always be ready to serve the people sincerely and cost effectively. The jumbo pay is condemned, but can it ever be avoided?

‘It is the total sum that seems large’ – SAMUEL OLATUNDE

It is the total sum that seems large. All the corporate organisations give wardrobe allowance to their staff.

It is justifiable. What is sauce for goose is sauce for the ganger.

‘It is too much’ – TEMI ABIOLA

I think it is too much, lawmakers earn too much. How many Nigerians earn as much as they do. They went there to serve but we are using the countries money to service them. None of them can beat their chest and say they should be paid N200 per month. None of them will stay. So, it is too much.

Encomium

Written by Encomium

A media, tech and events company.

What do you think?

Leave a Reply

Avatar

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

AFRIMA, AU, ONE Mark Day of African Child in Soweto

Listen to your favourite radio station and stand to win a VIP MAMAs experience in Durban