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| Yakubu Dogara |
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, revealed on Wednesday that his allowance while in office was ₦25 million, countering the widespread belief that National Assembly members receive exorbitant salaries and allowances.
Dogara, who represented the Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal constituency in Bauchi State, served in the 8th National Assembly from 2015 to 2019.
Speaking at the National Assembly in Abuja during the ‘Legislative Open Week’ organized by the House of Representatives, Dogara aimed to correct the public perception that federal legislators receive excessive compensation.
However, he did not specify whether the ₦25 million allowance was a monthly, yearly, or total amount for his four-year tenure.
"My total allowances as Speaker amounted to ₦25 million. I instructed my accountant to open a separate account for this money because it wasn't mine," Dogara explained.
"Even when we discuss the allowances that people think are enormous, Mr. Speaker, forgive me, the House should forgive me," he added.
Dogara also mentioned that his salary as Speaker was less than ₦400,000 per month.
"I don't know if it has been increased since, but during my tenure, my monthly salary was under ₦400,000. A young man from my constituency once said, 'Is this really your salary? I could even hire you to work for me.'"
"Honestly, I never took a single naira from that account home. In fact, the money never lasted more than three days. I'm sharing this so that even Honourable members here understand the pressures on the Speaker and Deputy Speaker."
"Whatever a member receives, citizens should be aware. No matter how frugal a member is, due to the expectations from our citizens, it is very challenging for that money to last a month," Dogara concluded.
Daily Trust reports that Nigerians have frequently expressed concerns about the salaries and allowances collected by National Assembly members during each legislative session.
