Reps approve new salary for Yar’Adua, VP, others - Obasanjo, Atiku to benefit

Idowu Samuel & Bola Badmus, Abuja - 06.02.2008

THE House of Representatives has approved a new salary increase for the executive arm of government with retrospective effect of February 1, 2007.

In other words, both former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ministers and secretary to the government of the federation in the administration are all beneficiaries.

According to a bill for amendment of the salaries of members of the executive finally approved by the House, President Umaru Yar’Adua is now to receive an annual basic salary of N3,514,705 while Vice President Goodluck Jonathan is to receive N3,031,572.00 annually as basic salaries.

The bill also states that while the Chief Justice of Nigeria would be receiving N3,363,972.50 per annum as basic salary, the justices of the Supreme Court, President of the Court of Appeal, and justices of the Court of Appeal would be paid N2,477,110, N2,477,110 and N1,995,430.18 respectively.

Ministers in the present cabinet, Chief of Staff to the President, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Head of Service are now to receive N2, 026,400.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives had resolved that ministers as well as ministers of state would now be earning the same salary. The resolve by the National Assembly is premised on a conclusion that both the minister and minister of state are usually appointed to serve the country, although they perform different functions.

The federal lawmakers reasoned that both categories of ministers were appointed by the President and were screened as ministerial nominees by the Senate and not as senior or junior ministers.