For years now, members of the Nigerian legislature have enjoyed large salaries, unnecessary allowances and high end vehicles while neglecting their constituents who lack basic amenities.

There are 109 Senators and 360 members of the House of Representatives, all of whom officially earn an annual total of 8.7 billion naira in both salaries and allowances. This figure does not include other illegal allowances being received by legislators. It therefore comes as no surprise that Nigerian Legislators rank as one of the highest paid lawmakers in the world, and if I might add, probably the lowest in performance ranking.

The global drop in oil prices has caused a myriad of socio-economic problems in Nigeria, some of which can be tackled by the implementation of austerity measures by the Nigerian government, starting with the legislative arm.

The slashing of legislators' salaries will reduce the budget deficit, as well as show solidarity to the plight of millions of Nigerians, who have been affected by changing economic realities.

Hashtag petitions on social media for this purpose have not been taken seriously by the National Assembly, hence my decision to create this medium. With enough signed petitions, I am hopeful that the Legislature will take this issue a lot more seriously and provide favorable results.

I care about the current state of Nigeria, and I know you do too, please sign this.