The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, announced on Thursday that members of the House have collectively contributed approximately “N704.9 million” from their salaries over the past five months to support vulnerable Nigerians.
The initiative stems from a resolution passed during plenary for lawmakers to donate half of their salaries in response to the economic hardships caused by the removal of fuel subsidies and rising poverty levels across the country.
Speaking during the resumption of plenary, Speaker Abbas disclosed that the funds would be officially presented to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to aid Nigerians in need.
He stated: “If you recall, about five months ago, we decided to contribute half of our salaries to address the critical needs of the Nigerian people.
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 who truly need it.
This contribution highlights the steadfastness and dedication of members to addressing the critical needs of Nigerians.”
The decision to contribute was initiated in July, following a motion by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.
The House resolved to donate half of their salaries for six months to address hunger and alleviate the economic challenges faced by citizens.
While moving the motion, Kalu stated: “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 of our salary for a period of six months.
Our salary is N600,000 a month.
I want to plead that we let go of 50 percent for a period of six months.”
The initiative underscores the House’s commitment to easing the hardships faced by vulnerable Nigerians while supporting the government’s efforts to tackle poverty and improve living standards.
