COVID-19: We Were Forced To Donate Our Salaries – Reps Member

A Member of the House of the Representatives says that legislators donated their salaries towards COVID-19 against their will.

Lado Suleja, an All Progressives Congress member representing Guevara/Suleja/Tafa Federal Constituency of Niger State, stated this in a radio interview in his constituency.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, had announced that the entire members of the lower chamber resolved to donate their two months’ salary to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.

The speaker made the announcement in a video he shared on Facebook.

The Senate also made an announcement to donate 50 per cent of their salary.

The two-month salary donation, the Speaker said, would be independent of the contributions by individual lawmakers to alleviate the hardship that their constituents face at this time of national emergency.

Mr Gbajabiamila said the lawmakers’ donation would be transferred directly to the National Relief Fund account for the fight against COVID-19.

An average salary of a member of the House of Representatives is between N750,000 to N800,000 (excluding other allowances).

“Though we were forced to donate our two months salary, we still help the poor with the little that we have and we will still continue doing it till we see the end of this virus,” Mr Suleja said in Hausa language. He spoke on Prestige FM 91.7 Minna.

When asked by the presenter to confirm if he said they were coerced into the donation, the lawmaker affirmed his earlier statement.

“Yes, we donated the salaries because of the progress of Nigeria but I’m assuring you, most of us were not happy about it, that’s the truth.

“It’s Just the way you see workers not happy about salary deductions without their consent.”