Like reps, senate denies NLC’s claim of N100m palliative for lawmakers

The senate has refuted a claim by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that N100 million was given to each member of the national assembly as a palliative to cushion the effect of the removal of the petrol subsidy.

The upper legislative chamber rejected the claim a day after the house of Representatives debunked the allegation.

On Tuesday, Christopher Onyeka, assistant secretary-general of the NLC, was reported to have said members of the national assembly received over N100 million each from the federal government.

In a statement on Thursday, Yemi Adaramodu, spokesperson of the senate, said the allegation is “ludicrous and unthinkable”.

Adaramodu added that the accusation was a plan to bring the national assembly to disrepute.

The senate spokesperson said the attack on the national assembly was by “unpatriotic political mercenaries” who are against democracy.

“There is no N100 million for a legislator anywhere, from which budget is this coming from,” the statement reads.

“The national assembly shall not hesitate, henceforth to take constitutional and legal actions against irreverent merchants of rumours and ill wills against legislators.

“The national assembly should not be taken as a political scapegoat. We don’t expect anything less from the NLC leadership, we only opined that they will place national interest above partisan nihilistic outbursts.

“If the congress wishes to serve as the conscience of Nigerian workers, it must purge itself of political comments that can truncate our democracy.”