Contrary to figures circulating on social media regarding the salaries of Members of the National Assembly, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has disclosed that his monthly salary was only ₦400,000 during his tenure as the presiding officer of the Green Chamber.
Dogara served as Speaker during the 8th Assembly, which spanned from June 2015 to June 2019.
Dogara made this revelation on Wednesday while delivering a goodwill message at the ongoing ‘Open NASS Week’ at the National Assembly in Abuja.
Although Dogara admitted that his monthly allowances and office imprest as Speaker amounted to ₦25 million, he explained that these funds were often insufficient due to the numerous requests from constituents.
The former Speaker stated that he never personally spent any part of the allowances. Instead, he directed his account officer to open a designated account where the funds were kept to address requests from his constituents and other Nigerians over four years.
“The allowances never lasted for three days due to the overwhelming number of assistance requests from the public, especially constituents,” Dogara added.
The former Speaker acknowledged that “Democracy all over the world is expensive,” but urged Nigerians to support democracy as it guarantees inclusion for all sections of society.
