The House of Representatives will present N704.91 million to President Bola Tinubu on December 31, 2024, to support vulnerable Nigerians struggling with economic hardships caused by the removal of the petrol subsidy.
Speaker Tajudeen Abba made the announcement during Thursday’s plenary, stating that the funds were generated from half of the lawmakers’ salaries over six months.
“If you recall, about five months ago, we decided to contribute half of our salaries to address the critical needs of the Nigerian people,” Abba said. “I am happy to inform you that so far, we have contributed N704,907,578.82. On December 31, I will lead a delegation to hand over the money to the President for the exclusive use of vulnerable Nigerians.”
The decision to cut salaries was made on July 18, 2024, after Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu moved a motion urging members to sacrifice 50 percent of their earnings to ease the economic difficulties faced by ordinary Nigerians.
During his motion, Kalu said, “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 percent for a period of six months. Our salary is N600,000 a month. I want to plead that we let go of 50 percent of our salary for a period of six months.”
Abba commended the members’ dedication, stating that their contributions demonstrated their commitment to addressing Nigerians’ needs during tough times.
