House of Reps Receives Full Salaries Despite Pledge to Donate Half to Combat Hunger, Cites Bureaucratic Issues

Members of the House of Representatives have received their full July salaries, despite a pledge to donate half of their earnings for six months to combat hunger in Nigeria, a report by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) has revealed.

On July 18, lawmakers in the lower chamber of the National Assembly resolved to donate 50% of their monthly salaries for six months.

This decision was reached during a debate on addressing the nationwide protests scheduled for August.

However, Uzokwe Ifeanyi, the representative for Nnewi South Federal Constituency, indirectly confirmed that members received their full salaries in July.

During an interview with Channels Television on July 31, Ifeanyi displayed a screengrab showing his full July salary of N936,979.

When asked why he received a full salary instead of the promised half, Ifeanyi explained that “the house has to go through a process” before the 50% reduction could be implemented.

National Assembly spokesperson Akin Rotimi later cited bureaucratic delays as the reason for the failure to implement the salary reduction.

“The House of Representatives remains committed to the resolution passed on July 18, which mandates a 50% reduction in the salaries of honourable members from July to December 2024,” Rotimi told Punch.

“We acknowledge and regret that this resolution was not implemented by the bureaucracy as intended for the month of July.”

Recall the pledge to donate 50% of their salary came before the start of the #EndBadGovernance.

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