Orji Uzor Kalu, Senator representing Abia North, has disclosed that the N14 million he earns monthly is insufficient to cover his needs.
The former governor of Abia State made the revelation during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, October 17.
He said the N14 million is not enough for him to buy petrol to visit his constituency and to also maintain the constituency office among other things.
“I earn N14 million for everything in a month. That is everything encompassing, the overhead, the worker’s salary, everybody,” Senator Kalu said, countering the perception that lawmakers live in luxury while Nigerians face economic hardship.
However, Kalu said the N14 million he earned monthly was meant to take care of the salaries of workers in his constituency, his overhead costs among others.
He also dispelled rumours that lawmakers receive personal luxury vehicles, clarifying that only committee members in the National Assembly are provided with vehicles for official use.
“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,” Kalu said.