Nigerian senator says N14 million monthly salary not enough to run office

Abia North Senator Orji Kalu has said he earns a total of N14 million monthly in running costs, salary and allowances.

Mr Kalu, a former governor of Abia State and member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), however, said the N14 million monthly pay is not enough to buy fuel for his cars and manage the affairs of his constituency offices in a country where a worker’s minimum wage is N70,000.

The senator said this in an interview with Channels Television on Thursday.

“Getting so much from where? If you had told me, I would have brought the statement of my account from the Senate. I earn N14 million for everything in a month. That is everything encompassing, my salary, the overhead, the workers’ salary and everything and everybody.

“No, it’s not. Let me be honest with you. Do you know this money I have to buy fuel, I have to travel to my constituency, I have to maintain constituency office, I have to sit in the constituency, it’s not enough,” Mr Kalu said.

Mr Kalu’s claim contradicts what Kano South senator Kawu Sumaila disclosed about three months ago.

In August, Mr Sumaila, a member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), told BBC Hausa that his monthly salary is less than N1 million. Still, when the running cost is included, he earns at least N21 million monthly, like his colleagues.

Controversy on senators’ pay

The issue of the senators’ emoluments resurfaced recently when former President Olusegun Obasanjo accused them of fixing new salaries and allowances for themselves, contrary to the recommendation of the Revenue Mobilisation Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMAFC).

RMAFC is the body authorised by law to prepare salaries and allowances for public officers.

The former president also alleged that the senators are used to receiving incentives they were not constitutionally entitled to from the presidency.

The Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, however, denied Obasanjo’s allegations but was silent on the total amount a senator earns monthly, including the running cost.

The Chairperson of RMAFC, Muhammed Shehu, had also clarified that each senator earns N1,063,860 monthly salary and allowance.

The breakdown includes basic salary of N168,866:70; motor vehicle fuelling and maintenance allowance – N126,650; N42,216:66 for personal assistant; domestic staff – N126,650:00; entertainment – N50,660:00; utilities – N50,660; newspapers/periodicals – N25,330:00; Wardrobe allowance – N42,216,66:00; house maintenance – N8,443.33 and constituency allowance – N422,166:66; respectively.

Performing duty

Mr Kalu, who was convicted in 2019 for allegedly diverting N7.1 billion from the Abia State Government account for personal use, claimed that he is performing his duty as a senator representing his constituency.

“I am doing my duty as a legislator in my constituency, and I can never fail in my duty, and I am sure that most senators are doing their duties in their constituencies. I can never fail in Abia North Senatorial District,” he added.

Senators didn’t get official vehicles

Mr Kalu also claimed that the National Assembly did not purchase official vehicles for all the senators.

He said the official luxury vehicles are bought for only committees of the National Assembly for official duties.

Again, Mr Kalu’s claim is contrary to what the Senate said last year before going ahead to purchase the vehicles for the lawmakers.

Last October, the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Services, Sunday Karimi, confirmed that leadership of the two chambers of the National Assembly bought luxury vehicles for all the lawmakers.

Mr Karimi told journalists in Abuja that the National Assembly decided to buy the luxury cars for lawmakers because they wanted vehicles that would not only be durable on Nigerian roads but also be easy to maintain for four years.

But, Mr Kalu said it is false.

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“These are just rumours. I am a businessman, I don’t have a vehicle given to me. The vehicles are bought for the Senate committees. Senators are provided with committee vehicles. My committee got a vehicle and I don’t own it, and anybody who belongs to the committee can use the vehicle.

“Some government appointees use five to six vehicles, and nobody talks about it and the legislators are doing a lot to see that Nigerian people are carried along.

“We are the elected officials whocan be easily reached. If someone is sick or someone’s child can’t pay his or her school fees they cry to us. The committees get vehicles and no lawmaker owns any vehicle,” he said.