My N14m Monthly Salary As Senator Grossly Inadequate – Orji Kalu
Former Governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, says Nigerians should perish the notion that lawmakers are living in affluence while allowing the masses to wallow in abject poverty because his N14 million monthly salary is grossly inadequate to cover overhead and other expenditures.
Speaking on the Channels Television’s interview programme, Politics Today on Thursday, Orji Kalu, who represents Abia North Senatorial District in the National Assembly (NASS), said contrary to views expressed in some quarters, the amount was not enough to cover his expenses as a lawmaker.
He said; “I earn N14 million in a month encompassing my salary, overhead and workers’ salaries. Let me be honest with you, do you know from this money I have to buy fuel to travel to my constituency? The overhead, the worker’s salary, everybody. It’s not enough.
“When I was a governor, I voted for one term of six years. Remember Obasanjo said I was after him. That was the beginning of our quarrel. I went for one term of six years because of the cost of election and the cost of managing the economy.
“As a governor or a president, their eyes are on re-election. They are not even thinking about what people will gain, or what people will do. They are only looking for reelection. The only way to solve this problem is to do a six-year one term.
“It will go a long way in boosting their performance because the people think they need to make money for re-election in my opinion.”
He said despite all odds, most senators were doing well for their constituents, stressing that he would never fail his people.
“I am doing my best as a legislator for my constituency. I will never fail in my duty and I am sure most senators are doing their duties in their constituencies. I can never fail in Abia North Senatorial District.”
Responding to the issue of vehicles for lawmakers, the former governor, who explained that lawmakers are not given official personal vehicles, said the only the various committees in the national assembly that are given vehicles.
According to him; “I am in the Senate and a lot of things are said about the Senators and I sit there quietly and watch, and most of these things are not true. All I know is that committees get vehicles, no lawmaker is given any vehicle.”
On the current economic hardship and suffering in the country, the Abia North lawmaker said the situation was not only peculiar to Nigeria, noting that the COVID-19 impact is still being felt globally.
However, he said most countries are no longer feeling the COVID-19 adverse impact because of their capacity in building a robust economy for a very long period while the reverse is the case for Nigeria.
For him, it is important for Nigerians to know that President Bola Tinubu is aware of the country’s unstable economy and taking steps to address all existing and emerging challenges
Senator Orji Kalu said; “The president himself knows that Nigerians are suffering and hungry. He is a street person; he knows the street very well”, adding; “The president some nights uses his car to go around and know what is happening in Abuja here”.
