Nigerians says you are overpaid – Buhari tells lawmakers, they react

President Muhammadu Buhari has told members of the National Assembly that the public perception about them is negative.

According to the president, Nigerians saw the lawmakers as people who got too much money for doing little work.

Buhari who was represented by the spokesman of the federal government and minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made the statement at the launch of a magazine by the leadership of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, February 19.

“Hitherto, the public perception of the National Assembly is that of a bicameral legislature where overly comfortable and highly over-paid members merely stuff wads of currency notes into their pockets for little work done.

“This wrong perception has resulted partly from the lack of understanding of the enormous work of lawmakers, especially outside the glare of television cameras,” he said.

The president expressed optimism that the newly launched magazine would give the public access to correct information that would polish the image of the house and illuminate the great work members were doing.

Nigerian legislators at the federal level generally have a bad image from time immemorial. The lawmakers are one of the highest-paid in the world according to global statisitics.

Recently, there is a huge debate on social media about the cars members of the House of Representatives want to buy for themselves.

As usual, the news has caused a massive uproar on social media, with many Nigerians describing the lawmakers as selfish and insensitive.

Harun Elbinawi wrote: Nigerian lawmakers are among the most highly paid in the world, more paid than the lawmakers of developed countries despite the fact that Nigeria is the extreme poverty capital of the world.

Stephen Enunwah wrote: Nigerian lawmakers are very unserious about their jobs, they are hardly ever at work.

Oluwabukola Ajayi: Nigerian lawmakers are the most heartless set of humans ever liveth. The masses are suffering due to the closed borders, food items are overly expensive in the name of buying Nigerian brands but they want imported cars. Mad people.

Alfred Kotey: Chinese govt officials use vehicles manufactured by them. American govt and its officials use Ford or escalade vehicles that are produced by American companies. Nigerian federal lawmakers are rejecting vehicles produced by Innosson yet we keep preaching buy made in Nigeria goods.