In an interview with the BBC Hausa Service, Kawau said the official pay of N1 million fixed by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) drops to around N600,000 after deductions but there are other allowances that take their total pay to N21 million per month.

He spoke 24 hours after RMAFC, the body empowered by law to fix salaries and allowances of political office-holders, claimed that each of the 109 senators in the upper chamber receives a total of N1.06m in salary and allowances per month.

RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Shehu, said this as a form of clarification in response to recent controversies over the real amount each lawmaker earns per month.

But in his BBC Hausa interview, Kawu said, “The amount of salary received per month is less than N1 million. If there are cuts, it comes back to about N600,000. In the senate, each senator is given N21 million every month as the cost of running his office.”

The lawmaker said the allowances include office running, newspaper money, local travel and others.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo had stirred up a controversy when he tackled National Assembly members over their allowances.

He spoke in Abeokuta, Ogun State Capita,l while receiving House of Representatives members led by Ikenga UgoChinyere.

“In your case, with all due respect, you’re not supposed to fix your salaries. But you decide what you pay yourself, the allowances that you give yourselves (including) newspaper allowances.

“You give yourselves all sorts of things, and you know it is not right. It is immoral, (yet) you are doing it, the Senate is doing it, and you are beating your chests about it. In some cases, the executive gives you what you’re not entitled to. You all got N200 million (each).”