The Nigerian Senate has recently been entangled in controversies concerning what members get as their monthly take-home, considering the economic challenges that the country is facing and the lamentation about hunger from the majority of the people......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
While 99 of the 109 Nigerian serving senators were said to be getting approximately N2.079 billion monthly, the take-home of the ten remaining senators remained shrouded.
The N2.079 billion monthly earnings of each of the 99 federal lawmakers were based on the revelation by one of them, Senator Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), who confirmed that he receives N21 million monthly as a benefit for representing the people of Kano south senatorial district.
However, Sumaila could not ascertain what the remaining ten high-ranking senators of the 10th National Assembly take home every month.
Daily Trust reported that attempts to disclose the monthly earnings of the Senate’s high-ranking officers have been unsuccessful. Despite inquiries, even former lawmakers have expressed uncertainty about the officers’ salaries and allowances.
The Senate’s spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, did not respond to calls and messages seeking information on the principal officers’ earnings, leaving the details of their monthly pay unknown. Below is the list of the high-ranking senators with special pay:
Godswill Akpabio
Akpabio is the current Senate president and the highest-ranking senator in the 10th Senate. Akpabio represents Akwa Ibom north-west. His political career spans multiple roles, including two terms as governor of Akwa Ibom State and a stint as a minister under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Jibrin Barau
Barau is the second-highest-ranking senator after Akpabio. He is representing Kano North in the Nigerian Senate for the third time.
Barau has a rich political history. He served in the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2003, following the return of democracy in Nigeria. A Kano-born politician, he has continued to serve in various capacities and now holds the esteemed position of deputy Senate president.
Opeyemi Bamidele
The senator representing Ekiti Central senatorial district currently serves as the majority leader in the Senate. He is a proud indigene of Ekiti state and represents his people in the upper chamber. He is a second-term senator, having been in office since 2019, and has continued to serve the Federal Republic of Nigeria with dedication and commitment. His leadership role as majority leader is a testament to his experience and influence in the Senate.
Lola Ashiru
This is another high-ranking senator representing the people of Kwara South senatorial district in the Senate. Ashiru is the deputy majority leader of the Nigerian Senate.
In August 2018, Lola Ashiru and other PDP members in Kwara state defected to the APC to oppose Bukola Saraki’s political dynasty, which they believed had mismanaged the state for 16 years.
Tahir Monguno
The Borno-born federal lawmaker is next in line in the ranking of Nigerian senators. The APC caucus recently elected him as the Senate’s chief whip following the removal of Ali Ndume.
Ndume was accused of anti-party activities and was asked to resign from his membership in the ruling party following his outburst that President Bola Tinubu had been caged by the people around him.
Other high-ranking senators are listed below
1. Nwebonyi Peter Onyeka is the deputy Senate Chief Whip and Senator representing Ebonyi North.
2. Abba Moro is the minority leader and senator representing Benue North-East.
3. Akogun Lere Oyewumi is the deputy minority leader and senator representing Osun West.
4. Osita Ngwu is the minority whip and senator representing Enugu West.
5. Rufai Hanga is the deputy minority whip and senator representing Kano Central