Former Senator Elisha Abbo, who represented Adamawa North, has stated that the monthly earnings of Nigerian senators, often criticized for being excessively large, are insufficient for the demands of the role.
Abbo, who served in the National Assembly from 2019 to 2023, made this assertion during an interview on Arise Television, where he opened up about the financial realities faced by lawmakers.
Abbo disclosed that during his tenure, his total monthly earnings amounted to N14.4 million, which included various allowances and a base salary of N1 million.
He pointed out that current senators now earn up to N29 million monthly but argued that the figure “looks big on paper” and doesn’t reflect the actual expenses and challenges senators face.
“When I was in the Senate, cumulatively, all the allowances were N14.4 million per month,” Abbo explained.
“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.”
Abbo emphasized that he wasn’t defending the National Assembly but was sharing facts.
“I’m saying this as an 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,” he said.
The former senator also revealed that he became poorer after leaving his business to serve as a lawmaker, describing the financial strain of meeting the needs of his constituents.
“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,” Abbo said.
“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.”
To illustrate the financial pressure, Abbo recounted a situation where he spent N14 million on a single medical case for one of his constituents. He noted that his office was constantly flooded with requests for help, forcing him to seek assistance from state governors to address the numerous demands.
The debate over lawmakers’ earnings has been reignited by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who recently criticized the practice of lawmakers determining their own salaries and allowances, calling it “immoral.”
Obasanjo argued that such decisions should be made by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).
“With all due respect, you know it’s not right; it is not right for me to be the one to determine what I pay myself; it is immoral, and you are doing it; the Senate is doing it,” Obasanjo said.
In response, the Senate dismissed Obasanjo’s claims as lies, while the RMAFC clarified that each of the 109 senators receives a total of N1.06 million in salary and allowances per month.
Abbo’s remarks add a new dimension to the ongoing debate about the financial entitlements of Nigerian lawmakers, highlighting the tension between public perception and the personal experiences of those who have served in the National Assembly.