We Were All Satisfied, Former Lawmaker Opens Up on His Salaries, Allowances As Speaker House of Reps
- A former speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Akaai Chaha, in an interview disclosed what he earned as a lawmaker
- The ex-lawmaker said his salary was pegged at N15,000 and they (all the lawmakers at the time) were all satisfied and diligent in carrying out their duties
- According to Chaha who served in the Second Republic, lawmakers in 1983 were not carried away by money or material things
Having lived a quiet life before his death on Tuesday, March 8, a former member of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Akaai Chaha, warned that Nigeria's biggest challenge is corruption.
The former lawmaker who served as a speaker of the House during the second republic between October 1 and December 31, 1983, in his time as a public officer, leaders were frank, sincere and committed to delivering on their tasks.
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In an interview with Daily Trust in 2013 - long before his death, Chaha explained being frank with the people helped them achieve their goals as lawmakers in the country.
Chaha said:
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"We did not allow anything to happen to any of us holding political office – then the president was Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Joseph Wayas was the Senate president, and I was the speaker of the House of Representatives."
Salaries and allowances of lawmakers in 1983
Speaking on his allowances and salary during his time as a lawmaker, Chaha noted that lawmakers were not wealth-minded.
He also said that what they had going for them is different from the reality on the ground currently.
His words:
"I can tell you that the politics we practised in those years were quite different from what is on today. We were not wealth-minded.
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"For example, Shagari was receiving N50, 000 as salary; he had started with N25, 000. As a speaker, I was collecting N12,000 as salary before it was adjusted to N15,000."
The later former speaker also said that the people who served as leaders at the time were also satisfied with what they received as salaries and allowances.
Chaha added:
"I was satisfied with that money without asking for additions from either Mr President or anybody. We were alright.
"We didn’t ask people for favours but we got gifts from our friends who were rich. We were more or less living on charity because people thought they needed to help us financially."
Former minister opens up, explains why he deserves to be jailed
Leaders across the country have been urged to be of good conscience and lead the Nigerian people aright.
This call was made by a former minister of works, Ibrahim Musa Kazaure during an interview with Radio France International.
According to Kazaure, all former and serving public holders in various offices across Nigeria stole the country blind.
Medical trip: Buhari did not communicate to us about Osinbajo’s acting position, NASS declares
Legit.ng gathered that President Buhari did not inform the National Assembly that he would transmit power to Osinbajo while he is away on medical routines in England.
This means that the President did not follow statutory processes contained in the Nigerian Constitution to transmit power to Osinbajo.
It is not clear at the moment if Osinbajo is at the helm of affairs while the president is away as there is no official statement from him yet.
Source: Legit.ng
