Nigerian Reps’ 50% Pledge Comes Up Empty: Full July Salaries Paid despite Hunger Relief Promise

Members of the Nigerian House of Representatives have received their full salaries for July, despite a prior commitment to donate 50% of their earnings for six months to combat hunger in the country.

The resolution to donate half of their monthly income was made on July 18, 2024, during a session where lawmakers discussed ways to address the nationwide protests planned for August.

However, the pledge came into question when Uzokwe Ifeanyi, representing Nnewi South Federal Constituency, indirectly confirmed that the lawmakers received their full July salaries. In a live interview with Channels Television on July 31, Ifeanyi displayed a screenshot showing his full salary of N936,979.

When pressed on why the deduction was not reflected, Ifeanyi explained that the implementation of the 50% donation required a procedural process within the House.

In a subsequent statement on Wednesday, Rotimi Akin, the spokesperson for the lower chamber, reiterated the House’s commitment to the promised salary deduction, assuring that the process was still in progress.

“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,” the spokesperson said.

According to him, 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.”

While calling for patience, he assured the House of its steadfast adherence to its pledge and sustained efforts to earn the trust and confidence of all Nigerians.

He also clarified that each member of the House takes N600,000 as monthly salary against N900,000, which is being speculated.

“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,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson said the House 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 onboarding process was concluded.