Contrary to the claim by Governor Kayode Fayemi that governors in Nigeria earn N500, 000 per month, the official monetized salary of a governor in the country is actually N648,580.62, findings from an investigation have shown.
Fayemi had said that professors in Nigerian universities earned as much as he earned, and that, in some cases, they earned more than him on a monthly basis.He said that as a governor, he earned N500,000 monthly salary, arguing that a professor sometimes earned more than that.
The governor berated Nigerian academic for allegedly not taking advantage of certain opportunities which, he said, he was privy to.
However, a document, Remuneration Package of Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders, obtained from the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission by our correspondent in Abuja on Thursday, showed that there were other allowances which the governor was entitled to.
While a few of the allowances are paid periodically, there are others that are not monetised which the state provides fully, according to the preference of the governor.
The governor’s monthly salary is made up of three items – basic salary, hardship allowance and constituency allowance.
According to RMAFC’s document, a governor is entitled to a monthly basic salary of N185,306.75. He is entitled to a monthly hardship allowance of N92,654.37 and monthly consistency allowance of N648,580.62.
These add up to a monthly salary of N648, 580.62 or an annual sum of N7, 782,967.50.
Other allowances of the governor that are not part of the monthly emoluments are 10 per cent leave allowance which amounts to N222,370.50 per annum.
Should a governor so desire, he is entitled to 400 per cent Motor Vehicle Loan which amounts to N8,894,820.
When a governor completes his tenure, he is entitled to 300 per cent severance allowance, which amounts to N6,671,115. This is apart from what is provided by each state as pension and gratuity.
However, the majority of the allowances that a governor is entitled to are not monetised. This means that the state makes full provision for such items – to the taste of the governor.
Such allowances include the following: Motor vehicle fuelling and maintenance, special assistant, personal assistant, domestic staff, entertainment, utilities, security, and newspapers/periodicals.
Other allowances that are fully provided by the state for the governor are accommodation, furniture, duty tour allowance, estacode and medical.