‘I became poorer as a senator’ – Elisha Abbo

Elisha Abbo, a former senator who represented Adamawa North, has argued that the monthly earnings of Nigerian senators are not as substantial as they appear.

There has been widespread criticism of the large salaries and allowances received by lawmakers, particularly those in the National Assembly.

However, in an interview with Arise Television, Abbo maintained that their monthly earnings are “big on paper” but inadequate for the demands and responsibilities of their position.

Abbo noted that during his tenure as a senator, his monthly salary and allowances totaled N14.4 million, while current senators reportedly earn up to N29 million monthly.

He said: “When I was in the Senate, cumulatively, all the allowances were N14.4 million per month. You have a wardrobe allowance, a vehicle allowance, and other allowances put together that were N14.4 million, including the N1 million salary.

“It is about N29 million now. N29 million looks big on paper

“I’m saying this as an honest man. I’m not trying to support the National Assembly, and I’ve been a member of that vilified institution for five years. I am not standing with them, but I’ll bear the facts on the table.”

Speaking further, he said he became poorer after quitting his business to become a lawmaker.

He said:  “I had to leave the company I founded, in which I was the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, to go into governance when I won the election.

“I had to start subsiding my life because the money that was allocated to my office was absolutely nothing considering the demand and challenges faced by my own constituents on a daily basis.

“I had a case of just one person I took to the hospital; I spent N14 million on one person.

“And every month, from all over Adamawa State and other states, my office was besieged with people looking for help.

“I had to start calling some state governors to help me with cases that are being brought from their states into my office.”

Recently, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo said it was “immoral” for lawmakers to determine its salaries and allowances.

“You are not supposed to fix your salaries or allowances; it is supposed to be done by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

“With all due respect, you know it’s not right; it is not right for me to be the one to determine what I pay myself; it is immoral, and you are doing it; the Senate is doing it,” Obasanjo said.

The Senate, however, dismissed the claims by Obasanjo, stating that they were lies.

The Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) also stated that each of the 109 senators in the upper chamber receives a total of N1.06m in salary and allowances per month.