Reps’ N705m donation to the poor

A well-known stock-in-trade of Nigeria’s political class is gain-induced philanthropy. Politicians solicit publicity-seeking donations to feign empathy for impoverished Nigerians. Some of such “public-spirited donors” are under investigation for financial malfeasance.

Thus, some politicians try to use such philanthropic gestures to deodorise their reputation.

In mid-March, House of Representatives members embarked on this publicity-craving donation.

The Speaker, Abass Tajudeen, presented a cheque of N705 million to President Bola Tinubu to support vulnerable people in the country. According to him, the money is a six-month 50 per cent deduction from members’ salaries to augment the humanitarian efforts of Tinubu and to support the poor.

The House would have expected Nigerians to roll out the drums in celebration of their “magnanimity”, but most Nigerians did not bat an eyelid because of the humongous allowances the honourable members receive monthly. This, they have not slashed in the spirit of the lean times.

The Economist of London describes the lawmakers as the highest-paid in the world.

In the 2024 budget, the salaries of the 358 Reps cost N2.84 billion while their allowances stood at N21.04 billion. Thus, the allowances are almost 10 times more than the salaries.

The remuneration of senators is a bit higher. The senators took N868.3 million in salaries in 2024, while their allowances cost N7.72 billion.

Thus, the House members’ donation of 50 per cent of their salaries is mere tokenism. Currently, Nigeria needs more than that.

Africa’s most populous country is in dire economic straits. So, it needs forward-thinking and agenda-setting leaders who will think out of the box to pull the country out of the cesspit of corruption and official ineptitude, and not leaders who see the led more as people in destitution who will be given peanuts occasionally by those feeding off the resources of the land.

It is high time that the take-home pay of the federal legislators reflected the mood of a country that has a national debt of N142 trillion. The deficit in the 2025 federal budget is N13.39 trillion. Debt servicing is N16.3 trillion.

While the Reps swim in untrammelled luxury, the national wage is N70,000 (about $40) monthly.

So, their pay should reflect a country with a population of 233 million and a budget of N54.99 trillion ($36.4 billion), which is too little to address the social and economic problems confronting the country.

Egypt, with a population of 114.5 million, has a $91 billion budget for 2025. Ghana, with a population of 33.79 million and facing serious economic challenges, has a 2025 budget of $19 billion.

South Africa, with a population of 63.21 million, has a 2025 budget of $141.4 billion. So, the size of the Nigerian budget in naira reflects the devalued currency.

The federal lawmakers should remember that Nigeria is going to finance a huge percentage of the budget with borrowed funds.

So, the focus should not be on further milking Nigeria, but on creating policies and laws that will open Nigeria to huge investments that will bail the country out of a vicious poverty cycle.

The reality now is that the federal legislators have been fiddling while the country is burning.

They have, through all kinds of means, created an oasis of pleasure and opulence for themselves amid the grinding poverty facing most Nigerians. Occasionally, they drop crumbs from their high table to Nigerians at the bottom of the table.

However, it is not too late for the legislators to retrace their steps. First, they need to slash their humongous pay, which is out of touch with the reality of excruciating poverty in a country where 140 million citizens live in multidimensional poverty.

They need to strengthen laws that will reduce corruption and the cost of governance.