Belolo Efekoro, the Nigerian-born US Representative for Albany County in New York’s 7th Congressional District, said the salaries and allowances of members of Congress are exorbitant.
Beloro made the remarks in a statement in New York on Thursday, reacting to the controversy over the salaries and allowances of Nigerian lawmakers.
The allegation of salary fixing by lawmakers reportedly emerged during a visit by some members of the House of Representatives to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, sparking public concern.
The Senate on Sunday denied allegations that lawmakers are fixing their own salaries and going home with huge paychecks.
However, a statement from the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Finance Committee said each senator receives a monthly salary and allowance of N1,063,000.
In response, US lawmakers said the European Commission’s explanation was merely formal.
“The person making the allegation is a former senator and knows how much he received. Even the committee, the person who made the statement at the press conference, knows that the breakdown you provided is just a formality, a paper trail,” he said.
“The Nigerian government and politicians continue to push Nigerians into a corner but they forget that Nigerians never forget. Nigerians only tolerate as much as they can bear.”
The lawmaker called on Nigerians to support the administration of President Bola Tinubu to address the challenges facing the country.
Efekoro also warned Senate President Godswill Akpabio to desist from intimidating senators who want to hold the president accountable to Nigerians.
He added: “I still have confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s administration but the National Assembly should not be at the mercy of the president.”
“I plead with Nigerians to give the Tinubu administration more time to pull the economy out of the mess the Buhari administration has created. Meanwhile, the Tinubu administration needs to tell Nigerians how much money the removal of subsidies has saved the Nigerian government and how the money has been spent.”
“The administration needs to articulate its economic plan and take the will of Nigerians into account to avert a revolution in the near future.”