The House of Representatives announced plans to donate ₦704.91 million to President Bola Tinubu on December 31, 2024, aimed at supporting vulnerable Nigerians facing economic hardships due to the recent fuel subsidy removal.
Henzodaily recalls that back in July, the House resolved to donate 50% of their salaries for six months to alleviate the challenges faced by ordinary Nigerians. This decision followed a motion moved during a plenary session.
During Thursday’s plenary, Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, addressed his colleagues, saying, “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 ₦704,907,578.82.
“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.”
This initiative came after a motion led by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu in July, where the House pledged to donate part of their salaries to help ease hunger and prevent further protests related to governance issues.
Kalu explained at the time, “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 ₦600,000 a month. I want to plead that we let go of 50 per cent of our salary for a period of six months.”