We earned N8.5m monthly as running cost – Ex-House of Reps member

A former member of the House of Representatives, Sergius Ogun, has disclosed that each member of the House received N8.5 million monthly as running costs. Ogun, who represented Esan North-East/Esan South-East Constituency from 2015 to 2023, made the revelation during an interview on Arise TV. His comments were in response to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s recent […]

A former member of the House of Representatives, Sergius Ogun, has disclosed that each member of the House received N8.5 million monthly as running costs.

Ogun, who represented Esan North-East/Esan South-East Constituency from 2015 to 2023, made the revelation during an interview on Arise TV. His comments were in response to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s recent criticism of the National Assembly.

When asked about the morality of the National Assembly setting its own salaries and receiving special fiscal packages from the Presidency, as alleged by Obasanjo, Ogun said, “The much-talked-about salary, as mentioned by Speaker Honourable Abbas, is about N600,000. This is not what we should be focusing on in the National Assembly.

“I believe Senator Shehu Sani has also addressed this. The salary is fixed. What I believe the former president (Obasanjo) was referring to is the running cost.

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“The running cost is meant to cover expenses like maintaining a constituency office. For instance, a trip from anywhere in Nigeria to your constituency today would cost at least N1.5 million. The running cost is part of the National Assembly’s budget, allocated to members. It’s not a salary; it’s a fund that must be accounted for at the end of each month. If it were a salary, you wouldn’t need to retire it. It’s not a wage; it’s an expense.”

When asked how much lawmakers receive as running costs, Ogun revealed, “It’s N8.5 million monthly. Whether it has been increased now, I don’t know. I’ve heard discussions about a possible increase.”

He further explained that allowances for items like newspapers, international journals, and constituency office maintenance are included in the running cost.

He said when members are nominated for foreign trips or parliamentary assignments, the House covers the costs, including tickets and estacodes.

Ogun also spoke on the pressures faced by lawmakers when the running costs are disbursed. “The day the so-called running cost hits your account, you start receiving calls from everywhere. People ask for help with rent, fixing roofs, and other personal issues. If governors and local government chairmen were addressing basic needs like primary healthcare and education, there would be less pressure on legislators.

“We need to reassess the necessity of this running cost. Now that local government autonomy is in place, if local governments are made to work effectively, the burden on legislators would reduce, and perhaps National Assembly members could live solely on their salaries.”