It was learnt that the Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu amended the motion, urging his colleagues to sacrifice 50% of their salaries.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has expressed his thoughts on the House of Representatives' decision to cut their salaries by 50%, describing it as "a drop in the ocean".
While commending the lawmakers' willingness to make sacrifices, Atiku highlighted that the real issue was in their allowances, which he implied are excessive.
He also questioned the implementation of the Oronsaye Report, which aimed to reform the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) but seems to have been ignored amidst the recent expansion of these bodies.
This comes after the House of Representatives announced their commitment to donate 50% of their salaries for six months to address the widespread hunger in the country, as reported by SaharaReporters.
This was made known at a plenary session presided over by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, and Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, on Thursday.
It was learnt that the Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu amended the motion, urging his colleagues to sacrifice 50% of their salaries.
“This government is doing its best but one year is not enough to address the challenges of this country. I want to plead with our colleagues to sacrifice 50 per cent for a period of six months,” the lawmaker was quoted.
But reacting in a statement shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account, the former Vice President said "The sacrifice of members of the House of Representatives is commendable. But it is a drop in the ocean.
"The demons are in the allowances and not the salaries of lawmakers and government officials in general. Whatever happened to the much-trumpeted implementation of the Oronsaye Report?
"Recently, the ballooning of MDAs with the attendant cost implications has been observed. There's too much wastage and prioritisation of non-essential expenditures.
"What is desirable is an across the board cut in expenses. We can no longer afford to borrow money to fund continued irresponsibility in government."
Follow the Sahara Reporters channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaFClvtH5JM6SSsP7M2Y