NIGER Delta militant group the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) has threatened to resume hostilities in the region in objection the huge salaries and allowances federal lawmakers have recently allocated themselves. 

Members of Nigeria's National Assembly are the highest paid in the world with senators and members of the House of Representatives receiving a N150bn (£479.4m)  annual allocation, representing nearly 3% of Nigeria's yearly budget. Last week, they awarded themselves a whopping N9bn (£29m) wardrobe allowance, causing outrage as civil servants are owed salary arrears, in some cases of up to a year. 

National Assembly leaders like senate president Senator Bukola Saraki, have defended the payments saying each lawmaker would only get a wardrobe allowance of N506, 600 per annum in line with the stipulations of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission. Civil society groups and trade unions have described the payments and callous and insensitive, especially coming at a time when workers have not been paid. 

Mend spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, said: “These wicked individuals appropriate to themselves huge and absurd salaries and allowances at the expense of the millions of hapless Nigerians, who have not been paid their salaries, pensions and other benefits they deserve for months. The Niger Delta region, where the bulk of revenue that sustains the nation comes from, continues to suffer neglect, environmental degradation and lack, made worse by the very corrupt and visionless past government of Goodluck Jonathan and his cronies. 

"Some of these people still shamelessly parade themselves on national television and other media platforms as Niger Delta activists. Nigerians refuse to tolerate this ostentatious lifestyle of our lawmakers, whose main objective, it seems, is to enrich themselves and carelessly spend scarce resources." 

Last week, the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives Hon Yusuf Lasun hit back at claims that the National Assembly is costing Nigeria too much by pointing out that its N150bn (£479.4m)  annual allocation is only 2.67% of Nigeria's yearly budget. He defended the payments, saying that the annual budgetary allocation to the National Assembly was not bloated. 

However, Mr Gbomo added: "The Niger Delta people refuse to pamper and cater for the needs of these thieving Assembly rogues to their detriment. If the lawmakers refuse to make the necessary adjustments needed to accompany the needs of the masses and the Niger Delta region, it may lead to the resumption of hostilities.” 

In addition to the jumbo pay packages, members of the National Assembly are allowed to take away the official vehicles given to them during the course of their tenure so long as they paid 30% of their values. Each of the 109 senators has a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado jeep, commonly assigned to them for, while in the House, members have a 2011 model Toyota Camry.