A former Senator who represented Adamawa North, Elisha Abbo, has said the N21million running cost for senators is not enough.
Mr Abbo stated this during an interview on Arise Television on Sunday while reacting to the backlash that followed the revelation of the 10th Assembly lawmakers’ monthly earnings by the Senator representing Kano South, Kawu Sumaila.
Recall that Mr Sumaila, while speaking during an interview on BBC Hausa service, said apart from N1 million monthly salary, Senators received 21 million as running costs for their office.
While justyfing the amount, Mr Abbo, who was a member of the 9th and 10th Senate, said the amount was not enough to address the challenges being faced by his constituents in the North-eastern states.
He recalled that while he was in the Senate, his salaries, allowances and running costs put together was N14.4 million.
“Cumulatively, when I was in the senate, all the allowances put together was N14.4 million per month.
“My salary was one point something million naira. You have wardrobe allowances, you have your vehicle allowances, you have other allowances put together and it was N14.4 million,” Mr Abbo disclosed.
“It is about N29 million now, N29 million looks big on paper – I am saying this as an honest man and I am not trying to support the national assembly, an institution so vilified, and I have been a member of that vilified institution for five years, but I will bare the facts on the table. It [N29 million] is not humongous.
“When I was in the senate, my salaries and allowances together were N14.4 million and at the end of the month – a company I founded which I was the CEO after I won election I had to leave the company and go into governance.
“I had to start subsidising my own life because the money that was allocated to my office was N14 million which was nothing considering the demands, wants, and challenges faced by my constituents on a daily basis,” he added.
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