Reps Fail To Effect 50% Pay Cut, Blame Bureaucracy

The members of Nigeria's House of Representatives have yet to implement their resolution to slash their salaries by 50 per cent for the next six months.

The federal lawmakers made this resolution on July 18, 2024, in response to the economic hardship currently experienced by many Nigerians.

This decision was expected to reflect in their salaries for the month of July. However, the spokesman for the House of Representatives, Rotimi Akin, attributed the delay to bureaucratic hurdles.

During a plenary session presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu proposed the salary cut as a gesture of solidarity with the citizens facing economic difficulties.

The motion, sponsored by Ibrahim Isiaka, aimed to address the nationwide hunger protest that began on August 1, 2024. Despite the unanimous approval of the resolution, the lawmakers received their full salaries for July due to administrative delays.

Akin assured that instructions for adjusting salaries have now been issued and will be enforced moving forward.

He emphasized the House's commitment to the resolution and expressed regret over the delay.

The proposed salary cut would see each member contributing N300,000 monthly, amounting to N108 million per month and N648 million over six months, to support government intervention efforts.

Despite these efforts, the nationwide hunger protest turned violent in the North, leading to vandalism and looting of public property. Several northern states declared curfews, and the military issued warnings against any attempts to destabilize the government.