Yet again, the jumbo pay of the National Assembly has come under scrutiny. The renewed focus came on May 6 after Yelim Bogoro, judge of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, declared the N110 billion vehicle and allowance schemes unlawful.
Delivering judgement in a suit filed against the National Assembly by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, the court declared that the spending of N40 billion on 465 vehicles for lawmakers and N70 billion in support allowances for new members ran afoul of public procurement laws and breached the Constitution and the public trust.
It therefore ordered the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, “to ensure that all future procurements or expenditure of public funds by the National Assembly comply strictly with due process requirements and are also guided by the principles of transparency, accountability and value for money.”
The lawmakers should refund the non-approved funds.
According to the affidavit in support of the matter, the NASS allegedly approved the purchase of 465 bulletproof vehicles, bringing the total cost to N40 billion.
It described the expenditure as excessive and a violation of the Nigerian Constitution, the Public Procurement Act 2007, and the remuneration framework of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission.
This is egregious and insensitive amid the worsening living conditions. It is inconceivable that a tiny fraction of 469 individuals out of 237 million Nigerians can access such huge benefits in the face of overwhelming poverty.
The National Bureau of Statistics says approximately 133 million Nigerians (about 63 per cent of the population) are multidimensionally poor.
Additionally, the borrowing by the current administration is a consequence of misaligned public expenditure. Nigeria’s debt is currently valued at N152.39 trillion ($110 billion) or 53 per cent debt-to-GDP.
It is alleged that the oversight functions of the parliament are riddled with corruption.
Curiously, the President seems to look the other way as the legislators run riot.
Nigeria is littered with dilapidated primary schools, health centres, roads and public infrastructure. This should instil some sobriety among lawmakers to prioritise the needs of the populace over personal comfort.
In the judgement, Bogoro held that “looking at the magnitude of the expenditure, coupled with the absence of demonstrable due process, leads me to conclude that the procurement is arbitrary, disproportionate and inconsistent with statutory procurement standards.”
Pointing out a contradiction, the court ruled that “the beneficiaries of the expenditure are the very officials approving it, and the expenditure confers direct pecuniary and material benefits. This, to my mind, constitutes a case of self-dealing and conflict of interest.” He is right.
Bogoro further stated, “I have taken judicial notice of the economic realities in Nigeria and the widespread financial hardship affecting Nigerian citizens. In this context, the allocation of N110 billion for the benefit of lawmakers demonstrates a failure to prioritise national interest.”
In 2012, The Economist of London said Nigerian lawmakers received the highest pay in the world.
In a country declared the global capital of the world in 2018 with 87 million citizens, the inequality is sharp.
Erstwhile senator, Shehu Sani, was nearly suspended in 2018 for publicly exposing the N13.5 million monthly running costs for lawmakers. Abdul Ningi was, however, suspended for three months in 2024 for accusing the parliament of budget padding of N3.7 trillion.
Senators reportedly receive N21 million monthly nowadays, while Representatives collect N19 million.
In contrast, the monthly minimum wage is N70,000.
In June 2021, a Federal High Court in Lagos issued a landmark judgement that it was illegal for the NASS to fix its own allowances. It declared that only the RMAFC has the mandate to set remuneration for public officers.
The NASS continues to drain the treasury needlessly. The allocation of billions for constituency projects yearly violates the constitutional role assigned to the executive.
In the United States, Congress cannot raise the remuneration of lawmakers at its whim. Since 2009, congressional pay has been frozen at $174,000 per year for most members.
According to Article 106 of the Indian Constitution, Members of Parliament determine their own salaries and allowances through legislation passed in Parliament.
The basic salary for an MP is ₹50,000 per month. MPs are also provided with a constituency allowance (₹45,000 per month), a daily allowance when Parliament is in session. The total remuneration and allowances are detailed in the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament Act, 1954.
The Brussels Times reports that in June 2026, the Hungarian Parliament unanimously passed legislation to slash the base salaries of MPs by 40 per cent.
The sweeping cuts, proposed by Prime Minister Peter Magyar, also eliminated various mobile phone and housing allowances to improve fiscal discipline and restore integrity. India, Paraguay and Uruguay have also taken similar steps.
Though the House of Representatives voted for a temporary 50 per cent pay cut in response to severe inflation and economic downturn, recent events have shown that it was nothing more than a performative gesture to placate the public mood.
Therefore, the NASS must pivot to the realities of the times by discarding its jumbo pay. The economy cannot afford such indulgence in excesses.
