By Sodiq Adelakun
The House of Representatives has blamed bureaucratic procedures for the delay in fifty percent salary slash in solidarity with Nigerians suffering the harsh effects of the wobbling economy.
The House equally clarified that each member earns N600,000 as monthly salary, not N900,000 as speculated.
The spokesperson for the House, Akin Rotimi, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
Rotimi reaffirmed the commitment of the House to the 50 percent deduction in their salary to reduce hardship. He said 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 House of Representatives has been inundated by some media outlets reporting claims of discrepancies in the salaries of members, suggesting that they received 100 per cent of their July salaries.
Rotimi said the House remained committed to the resolution passed on July 18, 2024, which mandated a 50 per cent reduction in members’ salaries for six months.
“We acknowledge and regret that this resolution was not implemented by the bureaucracy as intended for 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,” Rotimi said.
He added that the delay in the implementation was due to necessary administrative procedures and coordination with financial institutions.
Rotimi said instructions for adjusting salaries had since been issued and would be enforced moving forward to ensure its pledge is fully realised.