Nigerians on social media have criticized former Nigerian senator Ishaku Elisha Abbo, over his remarks on the monthly remuneration for senators.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that Abbo, a former lawmaker, who represented Adamawa North Senatorial District, in a recent interview with Arise TV, said he received ₦14.4 million while serving, but the current Senators are earning ₦29 million.
The former legislator argued that because of the state responsibilities, the money senators receives is not as much as people make it out to be.
He said: “N29 million looks big on paper, just on paper, I am saying this as a very honest man. I am not trying to support the National Assembly, an institution so vilified and I have been a member of that vilified institution for 5 years, I am not siding with them, but I will bear the facts on the table.
“When I was in the senate, my monthly salary and allowances put together was about N14.4 million, and at the end of the month, the company I founded, which I was the managing director and CEO, when I won the election, I had to leave the company to go into governance, I had to start subsiding my own life.
“Because the money allocated to my office was N14 million which was absolutely nothing considering the demands, the want, the challenges.
“Every month from all over Adamawa state, in fact at a point from all over the country my office is besieged with people looking for help. At one point I had to start calling some state governors to help me with cases that are being brought from their state to my office.
“I am paying a lot of people’s scholarship in my office, I am subsidizing some people’s life in my office, while a state governor in this country is going home with over N700 million every single month, some go home with N1 billion.”
See reactions over Abbo’s ’s remark below:
tontolofabrics wrote; “29m is too small for you guys but 70k is too much for minimum wage.”
f.iseh wrote: “Honestly, we really need a total overhaul of the crop of lawmakers that are leading this country… They don’t have a single interest in the welfare of people.”
iamdejavoo_ wrote: “No be your fault Na why you be like Aro patient.”
_prettyclara_ wrote: “With those points of yours esp the last one, kindly leave the office Sir. Thank you!”
onemindxgram wrote: “If no be political opportunity wey him get eh, this man and the likes of speedarlinton and VIC O suppose Dey one category.”
0yetolaaj wrote: “Is the 29M not more than enough for all the seks toys you want to use it to buy. We didn’t forget how you beat up that woman in a seks toy shop in Abuja and went away Scot-free and still a serving senator.”
humayyra94 wrote:“Even if you people are taking for yourselves 3 billion monthly it won’t still be enough for the likes of greedy men. When a government teacher earns less than 120k before deductions every month yet the government is still owing them, and they have families to give, friends, neighbors who think they are government workers so they are earning much and you are there saying 29million in a month is small.”