Our monthly salary is N600,000, not N900,000 — Reps

The House of Representatives’ monthly salary is N600,000 as against the N900,000 that is being speculated, says Akin Rotimi.

Mr Rotimi, who is the spokesperson of House, made the clarification in a statement he issued on Wednesday in Abuja.

He reaffirmed the commitment of the house to the 50 per cent deduction in their salary 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,” he said.

He said 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 was concluded.

He said that the house remained committed to the resolution passed on July 18, which mandated a 50 percent 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.”

He said that the delay in the implementation was due to necessary administrative procedures and coordination with financial institutions.

He added that instructions for adjusting salaries had since been issued and would be enforced moving forward to ensure its pledge is fully realised.

“There is nothing to investigate, as some media houses reported, as the House’s position on this matter had been provided to some journalists who had reached out for clarification.”

He called for patience and assured the House of its steadfast adherence to its pledge and sustained efforts to earn the trust and confidence of all Nigerians.

NAN