The spokesman of the Senate Yemi Adaramodu has downplayed criticisms over wages earned by federal lawmakers, saying the National Assembly’s budget is just one per cent of the country’s budget.

Senator Adaramodu said contrary to widely-held belief, the lawmakers are not earning humongous sums as salaries.

“Like I said, in the 2023 budget, and our 2024 budget, the budget of the National Assembly is not up to 1% of the whole budget, it’s not up to,” Senator Adaramodu said on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.

“And National Assembly is an arm of government that is the legislative arm of government.”

The salaries and allowances of National Assembly members have been matters of intense debate and criticism by Nigerians.

Over the years, many have accused them of earning bogus wages and bonuses despite the country’s lean resources. The exact figures earned by the lawmakers have been shrouded in secrecy over the years.

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu had in February described it as a “far cry from what it is supposed to be”.