National Telescope national telescope newspaper
By Ekpenyong Emmanuel
The House of Representatives has announced plans to present a total of N704.91 million as a donation to President Bola Tinubu on December 31, 2024, for the benefit of vulnerable Nigerians affected by the economic challenges following the removal of petrol subsidies.
This initiative stems from a resolution passed on July 18, where lawmakers agreed to donate 50% of their salaries over six months to alleviate the hardships faced by ordinary Nigerians.
During Thursday’s plenary, the Speaker of the House addressed his colleagues, stating:
“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 of leadership to hand over the money to the president for the exclusive use of the vulnerable Nigerians who really need it.
“The contributions you made highlight the steadfastness and dedication of members to addressing the critical needs of Nigerians.”
The July resolution to donate half of their salaries was proposed by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu during a motion aimed at addressing the hunger crisis in the country and mitigating the aftermath of the #EndBadGovernance protests.
Kalu had emphasized the urgency of the gesture, stating:
“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 per cent for a period of six months. Our salary is N600,000 a month. I want to plead that we let go of 50 per cent of our salary for a period of six months”.
