The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has come under heavy criticism after mistakenly disclosing that holiday allowance had been sent to senators’ bank accounts.
Akpabio had, on Monday before the Senate adjourned for annual recess, told his colleagues that money had been sent to them to “enjoy” their holiday, apparently forgetting that the proceeding was being captured on live camera.
Though he made the statement on Monday before adjourning plenary to September 26, the video went viral on social media yesterday.
The Senate President said: “In order to enable all of us to enjoy our holidays, a token has been sent to our various accounts by the Clerk of the National Assembly.”
Upon realising that he was speaking on live television, he quickly retracted, and said, “I withdraw that statement. In order to allow you to enjoy your holiday, the senate president has sent prayers to your mailboxes to assist you to go on a safe journey and return.”
While it’s not clear the amount that was sent to the lawmakers as their salaries and allowances are shrouded in secrecy, the “holiday bonus” comment came weeks after the lawmakers were allocated N70 billion to support their “working conditions” in an amended 2022 supplementary appropriation act.
The lawmakers had said the N70bn was earmarked as ‘palliatives’ to support “the working conditions of National Assembly members.”
But many Nigerians described the huge budgetary allocation as insensitive, especially at a period when a majority of Nigerians are grappling with economic hardship heightened by the removal of fuel subsidies.
