COVID-19: Buhari, Osinbajo Have Been on Half Salaries Since 2015 – Presidency
POLITICS DIGEST – The Presidency has said that President Muhammadu Buhari and vice, Yemi Osinbajo have been earning only 50% of their salaries since they were sworn in for their first term in office in 2015, the spokesman of the President, Femi Adesina has said.
Nigeria is battling the outbreak of coronavirus which has infected over 830, 000 and killed more than 41,000 persons worldwide.
In support of curbing the spread of the virus in Nigeria, politicians, philanthropists, companies have announced donations to the Nigerian Government. Ministers in the government last week said they were donating 50% of their March salaries to curb the global pandemic.
When asked if Buhari and Osinbajo were donating to Nigeria’s fight against coronavirus, Adesina said there was no need for them to do so.
“Already, the President and the Vice President are earning 50 per cent of their salaries, they are not earning 100 per cent,” Adesina said during the Channels Television political programme Politics Today on Tuesday.
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Adesina stated that both Nigerian leaders chose to be paid half of their salaries since the inception of the present administration in 2015. The presidential spokesperson, however, did not state the president and vice president’s salary
In July 2015, Buhari and Osinbajo indicated to take a 50% pay cut of their salary barely two months after their swearing-in into office.
The permanent secretary of the State House, Nebolisa Emodi, at the time wrote to the then secretary of the government Babachir Lawal on Buhari’s decision to take a pay cut.
“I write to forward the completed IPPIS registration form of Mr. President and to draw your kind attention to Mr. President’s directive that only 50% of his salary be paid to him,” Emodi said in the letter.
One of the presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu disclosed that Osinbajo will be receiving 50% of his salary too.
The current annual remuneration of the President of Nigeria as published by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission is N14, 058,820.00.
Five years after, Adesina, insisted that “right from the beginning of the administration (the first term), they had elected to earn half of the salaries they should earn.”
