Lawmakers in the 36 State Houses of Assembly have received about N12 billion in salaries and allowances in the irst two years of their tenure and passed 601 bills, most of which were initiated by the governors, Daily Trust investigations revealed.

There are 978 members in the state legislatures, soaking up about N6 billion per annum in emoluments. A state legislator receives about N6 million per annum, comprising basic salaries and other perquisites, according to a Daily Trust analysis based on records obtained from the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). The RMAFC documents were obtained officially through a Freedom of Information Act request filed by this newspaper.

With these emoluments, a state lawmaker earns more than 24 times the country’s Gross Domestic Product per person (GDP). This means the legislator’s package is 24 times what each Nigerian citizen is worth when the nation’s total wealth is shared by the population. According to RMAFC records, a state legislator receives an annual basic salary of N1.34 million; accommodation, N802,335; vehicle maintenance, N267,445; and recess allowance, N133,772.

The lawmaker also receives, once in four years, a vehicle loan of N5.3 million, furniture allowance of N2 million and N2.6 million as severance gratuity. Other yearly emoluments are N334,306 for constituency allowance; N334,306 for domestic staff; N133,772 for utilities; and N66,861 as newspapers allowance.
In addition, the state lawmaker is entitled to N25,000 as duty tour allowance (DTA) per night and 600 US dollars estacode while on foreign trips per night.

Principal officers of the assemblies are entitled to responsibility allowance, while the speaker and his deputy are entitled to security and robe allowances as well as special assistants and legislative aides. Each lawmaker is also entitled to medicals and special assistants. The cost of maintaining the state lawmakers is coming to light four months after Daily Trust published details of similar fat-cat emoluments enjoyed by their counterparts in the Senate and House of Representatives, who are on top of the global MPs’ salaries chart.

Executive bills
Daily Trust investigations revealed that despite receiving over N12 billion from June 2011 to June 2013, the lawmakers only passed 601 bills into law. They appear to be merely waiting to rubber-stamp bills forwarded to them by the executive, as most of the bills passed in the two-year period were annual appropriation bills and supplementary budget bills submitted by the state governors. Also, there are many states whose assemblies did not pass a single individual member’s bill into law within the period.

In the two years from June 2011 to June 2012, the 202 state lawmakers in the North West passed 122 bills (Katsina State not included as details are not available) and collected N2.424 billion; while 176 legislators from South West received N2.112 billion and passed 107 bills into law (with the exception of those from Ekiti, whose records could not be obtained). The 158 lawmakers from the South-South, with the exception of Edo where records have not been obtained, had passed 69 bills into law and received N1.896 billion as salaries and allowance.

The North East has 156 state assembly members, who passed 130 bills (with the exception of Borno) after collecting N1.872 billion as emoluments. The North Central zone, with 158 legislators had collected N1.896 billion and passed into law 125 bills; while the 128 lawmakers from South East had passed 48 bills (with the exception of those from Anambra and Abia states whose records could not be obtained) and received N1.536 billion as emoluments.

More of the investigation report here: http://trendysturvs..com/2013/11/daily-trust-investigation-how-state.html

Sources: http://trendysturvs..com/2013/11/daily-trust-investigation-how-state.html, Daily Trust

Enugu, Ebonyi, Benue and Lagos should close their Houses of Assembly for non- performance.

Why does Kano with the highest number of LGs (44) have 24 members in the state assembly? To think that they are also the most populous state. Truth is like the bulge of pregnancy sha. It cannot be covered.