Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Yakubu Dogara, has addressed misconceptions about the earnings of National Assembly members, revealing that his own salary and allowances were significantly lower than widely believed.

Dogara, who served in the 8th National Assembly from 2015 to 2019 representing the Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal constituency of Bauchi State, made these revelations during the ‘Legislative Open Week’ event organized by the House of Representatives in Abuja.

Contrary to public opinion, Dogara emphasized that federal legislators do not receive extravagant salaries and allowances. “My allowances, everything as a Speaker then, was ₦25 million. I asked my accountant to open an account for this money because it was not mine,” Dogara stated, without clarifying whether this ₦25 million was monthly, annual, or for his entire tenure.

He further commented on the exaggerated public perception of legislative earnings, saying, “Even the allowances people think are enormous, Mr Speaker forgive me, the House should forgive me.”

Dogara revealed that his monthly salary as Speaker was less than ₦400,000. “When I was there, my salary was not up to ₦400,000 a month. A young man in my constituency said, ‘You mean this is your salary? I can even hire you to work for me.'”

He highlighted the financial pressures faced by legislators due to constituents’ expectations, noting it was nearly impossible for members to keep their allowances for personal use. “Honestly speaking, there was never a time I took one naira out of that account home. There was never a time that money lasted three days,” Dogara stated.

Dogara urged fellow lawmakers to be transparent about their earnings to dispel myths and manage public expectations. “Whatever a member gets, citizens must know this. No matter how stingy that member is, because of expectations from our citizens, it is very difficult for that money to last for a month in the hands of that member,” he added.