Nigeria's National Assembly just set what we can only hope will become a universal standard for employee benefits. The legislative body will use $43 million of taxpayers' money on what it is calling a wardrobe allowance, according to Quartz.
The huge sum will be split among both members of Nigeria's Senate and House of Representatives. Each of the 109 members of the Senate will receive $108,000, while the 360 people in the House of Representatives will get $87,000 each. This is only one of the benefits paid to members of Nigeria's newly formed government, as they are also set to receive large allowances for their vehicles and furniture.
Workers in the Nigerian government have annual salaries of $160,000, which makes them some of the most handsomely paid legislators in the world. The allowances and lack of transparency have caused a lot of outrage among a population that mostly survives on $90 a month. However, with the implementation of a new government there is hope that the recently elected President Buhari will abolish allowances and imitate the United States and United Kingdom, which both let government workers buy their own clothes.
