By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

A former senator who represented Adamawa North Senatorial District, Ishaku Abbo, has claimed that the monthly earnings of senators are only “big on paper” and not enough for the demands and challenges of their office.

In an interview on Arise TV on Sunday, Abbo stated that his salary and allowances while serving as a senator totaled N14.4 million, while today senators earn up to N29 million.

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 a 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.”

Abbo further expressed that he became poorer after quitting his business to become a senator.

He added, “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.”

Abbo further alleged that some state governors go home with up to N1 billion for state responsibilities.

“From N14 million, I was paying for people’s scholarships, subsiding people’s expenses while a state governor in this country is going home with over N700 million security vote every month, some go home with N1 billion to do other security issues,” he said.

“I am poorer, much poorer as a man when I became a politician than I was before I became a politician,” Abbo added.

PUNCH reports that the remuneration of Nigerian lawmakers has long been a contentious issue, sparking debates across the country and beyond.

Abbo further expressed that he became poorer after quitting his business to become a senator.

He added, “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.

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

Abbo further alleged that some state governors go home with up to N1 billion for state responsibilities.

“From N14 million, I was paying for people’s scholarships, subsiding people’s expenses while a state governor in this country is going home with over N700 million security vote every month, some go home with N1 billion to do other security issues,” he said.

“I am poorer, much poorer as a man when I became a politician than I was before I became a politician,” Abbo added.

PUNCH reports that the remuneration of Nigerian lawmakers has long been a contentious issue, sparking debates across the country and beyond.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo recently chided the federal lawmakers for fixing their salaries and emoluments.

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

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