Former House of Representatives member Sergius Ogun has revealed that each legislator received N8.5 million monthly for running costs.
Ogun, who represented Esan North-East/Esan South-East Constituency from 2015 to 2023, made the revelation during an interview on Arise TV.
When asked about the morality of the National Assembly setting its own salaries and receiving special fiscal packages from the Presidency, as alleged by Obasanjo, Ogun said, “The much-talked-about salary, as mentioned by Speaker Honourable Abbas, is about N600,000. This is not what we should be focusing on in the National Assembly.
“I believe Senator Shehu Sani has also addressed this. The salary is fixed. What I believe the former president (Obasanjo) was referring to is the running cost, he added.
He further explained that the running cost is meant to cover expenses like maintaining a constituency office. For instance, a trip from anywhere in Nigeria to your constituency today would cost at least N1.5 million. The running cost is part of the National Assembly’s budget, allocated to members. It’s not a salary; it’s a fund that must be accounted for at the end of each month. If it were a salary, you wouldn’t need to retire it. It’s not a wage; it’s an expense.”
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When asked how much lawmakers receive as running costs, Ogun revealed, “It’s N8.5 million monthly. Whether it has been increased now, I don’t know. I’ve heard discussions about a possible increase.”
He further explained that allowances for items like newspapers, international journals, and constituency office maintenance are included in the running cost.
He said when members are nominated for foreign trips or parliamentary assignments, the House covers the costs, including tickets and estacodes.
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