Delegates are bothered about media reports and speculations on their allowance.

The National Conference would, on Wednesday officially disclose how much the delegates would be paid as allowances for the three months the conference would last.

The Chairman of the conference, Idris Kutigi, stated this following complaint by a delegate from Sokoto State, Aishatu Madawaki, that the media was reporting inaccurate figures about the delegates’ conference allowances.

A total of 492 delegates were invited for the conference which began on March 17 at the National Judicial Institute, NJI, Abuja. But Nigeria’s main opposition party, All Progressives Congress, APC, which was given two slots and the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, with one slot, shunned the conference.

Ms. Madawaki, a professor, said the media had been reporting conflicting figures such as N12 million, N10 million and N4 million. She argued it was important the Conference Secretariat officially stated the accurate figure.

“Mr. Chairman, we don’t have anything to hide from the press nor from the public,” she said. “Let us lay the card on the table. Let the Secretariat tell them so that they know what we take.”

However, the Deputy Chairman, Bolaji Akinyemi, who was then making the final announcement, said it was beyond his brief to speak on the matter.

At that point, Mr. Kutigi said the Assistant Secretary in charge of Finance and Administration, Mahmood Yakubu was not available to disclose how much the delegates would earn and assured he (Yakubu) would do that on Wednesday.

According to the 2014 Budget estimates, now before the National Assembly, N7 billion was proposed for the Conference. The amount would cover accommodation, feeding and sitting allowances of the delegates.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how shortly after the Conference was inaugurated by President Goodluck Jonathan, each delegate was paid N1.46 million for the first two weeks. This implies that each delegate
would get N2.92 million each month.

This is contrary to media reports that a delegate would go home with N4 million monthly.

A delegate of the Federal Government, Mike Ozekhome, had confirmed that in the first week he received a bank credit of N1.46 million, saying it was for the first two weeks of the conference.

“If we take this as net and assume that 10% was deducted for VAT and Tax, this will bring the gross monthly take home to N3,212,000,” he said.

“If the deduction for Tax and VAT constitutes 5% of the gross, then the monthly net take home is N3,066,000. Either way, the take home per delegates is more like N3 million, and not the exaggerated N4
million.”

Mr. Ozekhome said he would earn the allowance and give it to the less privileged, saying the money could develop “wings” if he returned it to the Federal Government.

A former president of the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, Olisa Agbakoba, and a clergyman, Tunde Bakare, had said they would reject the allowance.