My Allowance Was ₦25 Million - Ex-House Of Assembly Speaker, Dogara Reveals

Yakubu Dogara

A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has revealed his total allowance and salary while he was a lawmaker.

As the Speaker of the 8th Assembly, Dogara, while speaking during the House of Representatives open week celebration in Abuja, opened up that his total allowance amounted to ₦25 million naira, while his salary was ₦400,000.

Dogara emphasized the need for this clarification due to the widespread misunderstanding that members of the National Assembly receive exorbitant salaries and allowances.

The former lawmaker explained this while stressing the need to allow Nigerian Representatives to work effectively without excessive financial burdens.

He highlighted that the negative perception of the National Assembly as a result of misconceptions about their earnings has led to unwarranted accusations of theft against them, even in public forums.

“While I was a Speaker, my salary was ₦400 thousand Naira, and my total allowance was ₦25 million naira, I told my accountant to open a separate account for the allowances, and I never for once took any money out of that account everything that came into that account was used to cater for the needs of constituents.

“My accountant complained of the level of demand on the account, and I told him if the money there is finished, borrow, and when money comes it you return to where you had taken money from.

“I am saying this so Nigerians will give their legislatures breathing space and know that the narrative is not true about members’ pay,” Dogara noted.