Members of the House of Representatives in the 10th Assembly will get a total of N54bn for constituency projects as each member would get N150m.
According to one of the lawmakers who pleaded for anonymity, the constituency allowances are part of the few privileges available to lawmakers to directly impact their various constituencies.
Constituency or zonal intervention projects in Nigeria refers to developmental projects sited in the constituencies of members of the state Houses of Assembly, members of the House of Representatives or Senators as budgeted for under various Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
Such projects often have banners stating that a project was implemented with the name of the lawmaker.
The salaries and allowances of lawmakers have always been at the centre of controversies because it was often shrouded in secrecy.
In the ninth assembly, it was disclosed that each House of Reps member got N100m, while each lawmaker in the Red Chamber got N200m for constituency projects.
However, amid hardship and the need to call for the masses to endure the hard times in anticipation of the good times and the ‘Renewed Hope’ of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration, the constituency allowance of the lawmakers has increased by N50m.
The lawmaker said, “In the House of Reps, our constituency allowance is N150m. This is the only opportunity we have to help our constituencies with one or more projects.
“We usually don’t have power over the real projects. So, this is often like palliative for us to give back to our constituencies. Many of us often use our money to do all the projects that we do for our constituencies.
“And this year, we are getting N150m in the House of Reps; I don’t know how much they will get at the Senate.”