Senate Under Fire For Rejecting Pay Cut

Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have criticised the rejection of a pay cut by members of the Senate.

Speaking in separate interviews with NAN on Thursday in Abuja, some of them described the rejection as insensitivity on the part of the senators.

Others advised them to listen to the yearnings of their constituents before supporting or rejecting any decision.

Mr Thomas Akala, a resident of Kubwa, described the move as self-centeredness on the part of the lawmakers.

“I was surprised to learn that these senators actually rejected the move to reduce their outrageous salaries and allowances. This has further proved that these people are there for their selfish interests, and not to serve the country. 

“They are expected to support the decision as a mark of self-sacrifice to mitigate the effect of the sharp drop in federal revenue,” he said.

Mr Aliu Ahmed, a civil servant in Abuja, also condemned the senators’ position. He advised the Nigerian electorate to screen candidates properly before electing them to the legislature.

“This conduct is disappointing and it defeats the purpose of having a legislative arm of government to serve as a check and balance on the other arms of government.

“I can only advise Nigerians to beware of the kind of individuals they elect into parliament because these ones cannot represent the Nigerian masses,” he said.

Also commenting, Mr Abas Aminu, also a civil servant, advocated for a unicameral legislature to save cost.

“I think we need to re-assess the idea of having two legislative chambers in the first place; the idea of having Senate President and a Speaker at the same time is duplication.

“We can either adopt the American model, where the Vice President is the Senate President, with the speaker heading the Parliament, or the South African model, where there is one chamber. “In both cases, a lot of revenue will be saved for capital development,” he said.

Recall that the Senate on Wednesday suspended consideration of the report of its Finance Committee, following sharp disagreements among members over the pay cut recommended by the panel.

The senators, during deliberation, resolved to reject the reduction of salaries and allowances as recommended by the Sen. James Manager Committee.