Pay cut for lawmakers, others soon —RMAFC

Chairman, Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Mr. Elias Mbam

The Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Mr. Elias Mbam, on Tuesday said a new remuneration package for public office holders including members of the National Assembly would be ready in September.

Mbam, who disclosed this to State House correspondents shortly after briefing President Muhammadu Buhari of the commission’s activities inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said the new salary structure would see the National Assembly members and other public office holders receiving less than their current wage.

He said the review would affect all cadres of public office holders in all arms of government including the executive, legislature and the judiciary.

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Mbam explained that the review became necessary because many government agencies, states and local governments had been struggling to pay salaries as a result of the sharp drop in oil price.

He, however, admitted that the downward review of the remuneration did not start with the present administration as the commission had started the review process from last year.

When asked whether the National Assembly members would accept pay cut as being planned by the commission, Mbam said, “They (the federal lawmakers) do not have a choice. We are guided by the constitution and we are going to be guided by such laws that are provided for in the constitution. They swore to obey the laws of the country.”

He explained that based on the remuneration package determined by the RMAFC, no federal lawmaker should earn up to N1m per month.

This notwithstanding, Mbam said the commission was almost concluding work on the new remuneration package that would reflect the current socio-economic realities in the country.

He said the draft would be ready before the end of September.

He said, “Presently, we are reviewing the subsisting remuneration package and it is going to reflect the socio-economic realities of today.

“We expect that before the end of next month, it will be ready.

“But it will go through a process, it is not something that you will just say ‘yes or no.’

“It will go through a process and it should be obvious to you the economic realities of the day and it is going to reflect that.”

He said the President’s advice for the commission during the meeting was that its members should ensure that they use all legitimate means to see that all public office holders take home the remuneration as determined by the commission.

He added that Buhari also advised his team to ensure that leakages were blocked.