Following the widespread misperception that members of the National Assembly received enormous salaries and benefits, former House of Representatives speaker Yakubu Dogara has spoken out, asserting that his entire allowance while in office was N25 million and his pay was N400,000 per month.
Speaking during a Goodwill message at the two-day “House Open Week 2024,” which was organised by the House of Representatives to celebrate 25 years of uninterrupted democracy in the nation, Dogara, the Speaker of the 8th Assembly, said it was crucial that Nigerians limit the financial demands placed on their representatives and allow them to work.
He went on to say that the National Assembly had a bad reputation due to the false belief that National Assembly members received enormous salaries and benefits, to the point that elected representatives members were referred to as thieves in public forums.
The former speaker claimed that because Nigerians believed that elected representatives members received millions in wages and benefits each month at the cost of Nigerian workers, he shared the same fate as other House of Representatives members and speakers.
READ ALSO: Nyesom Wike, The Ugly Face Of Nigeria’s ‘Democracy’
Dogara acknowledged that Nigeria’s democracy was costly and added that other nations were also complaining about the high cost of sustaining democracy. As a result, he challenged political scientists in the nation to assist in creating a domestic alternative that would satisfy the needs and desires of Nigerians while being less costly.
“My salary was N400, 000 and my total allowance was N25 million while I was the speaker,” he stated. I told my accountant to open a separate account for the allowances and I never for once took any money out of that account. Everything that came into that account was used to cater for the needs of constituents.
“My accountant complained of the level of demand on the account and I told him if the money there is finished, borrow, when money comes in, you return to were you had taken money from.
“I am saying this so Nigerians will give their legislators breathing space and know that the narrative is not true about members pay.”
He stated he had authorised the release of the House budget breakdown, including his entitlements as speaker, due to rumours circulating about the wealth of the members of the Eighth House but he pointed out that the practice was abandoned, leaving open the perpetuation of unfounded rumours and blatant falsehoods regarding the salaries and benefits of legislators to this day.
