We Don't Earn More Than American Legislators - Daramola
Hon. Bimbo Daramola represents Ekiti North Federal Constituency in the House of Representive. In this interview with JONATHAN NDA-ISAIAH he holds that contrary to report that Nigeria legislators are the highest paid in the world, the reality is that American Legislators earn more than Nigerian Legislators.
Starting on a very serious note, how much do you take home per month as a member of the House of Representatives?
I earn one million two hundred and sixty thousand as salary (N1, 200, 000: 00). After the deductions have been taken from salary, it comes to seven hundred and fifty thousand naira; sometimes, six hundred and ninety eight depending on taxes and all of that. Remuneration of a legislator just like everybody else is divided into two: salaries and the running costs. Like I said earlier, I earn One Million, Two Hundred and Sixty Thousand Naira (N1, 260,000) which comes to Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N750, 000) or thereabouts after deductions. Under that (running cost), you find Eight Hundred and Sixty Four Thousand Naira (N864, 000) for newspapers; you find money for our personal assistants; you find money for stationeries because the National Assembly has stopped supplying that.
Apart from basic fittings like televisions, refrigerators, and other appliances that belong to the National Assembly, you kit your office by yourself. Still under running cost, provision is made for entertainment; I think that is about One Hundred and Twenty Thousand Naira (N120, 000) per month. But the truth of the matter is that we need to be mindful of the way we situate things. I expect that Nigerians should have been more inquisitive and not have 'herd mentality' or mob mentality. You should also find out what an American legislator earn.
They say we earn more than American legislators. That is not correct. I met Senator Chris Coons of North Delaware in 2011 when we were elected. I am of the seven rookie parliamentarians sent to the United States for a 7-State Tour, including New York, Utah, Georgia, Washington DC, New Orleans, for one month, sponsored by the Department of States. I asked questions and I asked him (Senator Coons) pointedly 'How much do you earn?' and 'How much do you collect to run the office?'
Let it be made clear that anything that you take and retire is not yours, that is, your income. I'm not being evasive; this is the truth. For instance, if you send a reporter to go to Maiduguri to go and cover some event, you give him a lump sum of money and under that you have travel allowances, per diem, hotel and all of that. If you send a reporter on an assignment that is going to take two weeks and you give the reporter Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500, 000), you now add that N500, 000 to his salary; this is what Nigerians are doing. Yes, you are the one that will collect the money depending on where you are going.
For instance, if you work for a media house and the media house sends you to Olympics in Brazil and gives you money to facilitate your activities in Brazil, are you going to say that money is part of the money you earn? You are standing logic on its head. No, you can't say that because you have to retire it. And so we retire this money that they call 'Constituency Allowance.' There is nothing so called; it is called running cost. The running cost of an average federal legislator (Senator) in the United States hovers between $2.6 million and $2.8 million. Quote me. Please go and check 'Congress Salaries and Allowances' compiled by Ida A. Brudnick. You will see what they (American legislators) earn; they earn about $186, 000 as salaries per annum. And then check their running cost. If is not so, then I'm willing to step down. On my honour, I will stand down if it is not.
But there seems to be nothing or little to show for the much that you legislators are taking…
The Legislature is like the heart. The Executive is the head. Everybody can see the head and how big the head is but you can never see the heart. But God helps you if your heart stops beating for one second. I agree when you said that what we should be talking about is a parliament that does not just bark but also bite; that functions and delivers at optimum and optimal capacity. Go and do the search about Congressional Salaries and Allowances I told you earlier, you will confirm what I told you about the American Senator earnings as salary and running cost. If it is less than $2.6 million, I, Bimbo Daramola will stand down, I repeat. The devil is in the details. Go and check. All these people are maligning us here. Even though he Nigerian legislature is functioning and delivering at sub-optimal capacity.
Now let me tell you what the One Hundred and Fifty Billion (N150 billion) does; what it is used for. It's been like that for six years I'm told. It goes into the salaries and allowances of 109 Senators plus 360 Representatives. Every legislator has five assistants each. Over 4, 000 Nigerians, who work and report at the National Assembly every day. They are paid from that money. The National Assembly is a national monument which maintained and managed under facility management cost. I'm in House Services Committee and this is privileged information: Julius Berger maintains the National Assembly Complex. The diesel that we run on is covered from that N150 billion. Nigerian Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS) (capacity building for legislators) is maintained from same money.
When we put any Ad hoc Committee on television, Channels Television charges Four Million Naira (N4 million) by the hour; AIT, Seven Million Naira (N7 million) by the hour. I remembered we stayed on television for six hours to get Nigerians to watch the rot in this country during one of such deliberations. The money for such coverage is taken care from the same N150 billion. There are 86 committees in the House of Representatives alone; they also run on that. I have told the analogy; the Legislature is the heart of democracy. The Executive is the head. You can see the head; you cannot see the heart. And then somebody comes out and casts aspersion on the National Assembly. If you want somebody to look bad in Nigeria, the easiest thing to do is say that they have stolen money. You will catch any attention. They will not question you if you don't validate the integrity of your claims.
They are in print. No American legislator picks up IJMB forms (equivalent of Nigeria's JAMB) for anybody. You can see the number of applicants we picked JAMB forms for. You can see live pictures of people by the grace of God I was enabled to rescue. Look at cancer patients. Look at people on crutches. Look at medical interventions. Ask an American legislator if he won't say that you are losing it. One legislator told me, 'I checked your website; I heard you are building hospital. Don't you guys have government in place? It's not your job.'
And the so called elite also continue to lynch people. They will not tell Nigerians that it is not our job to buy them motorcycles. Listen, I am poorer than I was before I took this job. My bank balances will show it. Put it out that you saw it, eight pages of payments into bank accounts. These are alive and living human beings. I did not cook up these figures. I will make photocopies of them and give to you.
Would you take a pay-cut in fulfilment of Nigerians' clamour for reduction in the cost of governance?
That is no big deal. It is a sine qua non because that is nothing, but can you also convince Nigerians not to expect parliamentarians not to do what I did on that day (August 18, 2013) with 'Abomire' as a matter of expectation and entitlement? Let them enable and urge us to restrict ourselves within the functions that the constitution has expressly dictated. I'm even in support of a unicameral legislature. Yes, it is expensive to manage 469 people (the lawmakers) that you have dislocated from everywhere and put them in Abuja.
I will also support a pay-cut by all means. If I have everybody who voted for me wanting to get a generator from me, it has to be funded from somewhere. It does not mean I will not do these stuffs out of humanitarian inclination. I will still give to people anyway… but not as a response to expectation and right or entitlement of my constituents.
Maybe the job of lawmaking should be a part-time…
Stricto Senso, it will be difficult. It is only because what you are seeing today is a system that does not recognise the legislature and what legislators do. It's a job; it's not a child's play. Do you know what a law is? A law is supposed to make us all equitable so that I don't use my might to take away your right. Of course, it is a law that validates your right; that even lets you know that you have a right. If you take laws away, you return to days of Thomas Hobbs who described society as short, nasty and brutish.
Months have rolled into months since ASUU went on nationwide strike. It has been a standstill between Federal and ASUU. Where does this leave the Nigerian student and our fast falling educational standard? What is the way forward?
leadership