Senator Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila, a member of the 10th Senate representing Kano South senatorial district under the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has revealed that he receives a total monthly income of N21 million, including salary and allowances. In an interview with the BBC Hausa Service on the morning of August 14, Senator Sumaila explained that while his official salary is set by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and amounts to less than N1 million, with deductions bringing it down to just over N600,000, additional allowances for running costs significantly boost his total monthly earnings to N21 million.
This statement contradicts the RMAFC’s position, which stated that each Senator’s total monthly salary and allowances amount to N1,063,860. The commission detailed the breakdown, including a basic salary of N168,866.70; motor vehicle fueling and maintenance allowance of N126,650; personal assistant allowance of N42,216.66; domestic staff allowance of N126,650; entertainment allowance of N50,660; utilities allowance of N50,660; newspapers/periodicals allowance of N25,330; wardrobe allowance of N42,216.66; house maintenance allowance of N8,443.33; and constituency allowance of N422,166.66.
RMAFC Chairman Muhammed Bello Shehu addressed the confusion over the pay structure for National Assembly members, explaining that while some allowances are paid regularly with the basic salary, others are non-regular and are disbursed as needed. For example, furniture allowance of N6,079,200 and severance gratuity of the same amount are paid once per tenure, and vehicle allowance of N8,105,600 is optional and treated as a loan to be repaid before the Senator leaves office.
