Orji Kalu reveals how much he earns monthly as Nigerian Senator

Senator Orji Kalu, representing Abia North in Nigeria’s Senate, has clarified details about his monthly earnings, addressing public assumptions about the wealth of lawmakers.

Speaking on Channels Television’s programme, Politics Today, Kalu disclosed that his total income as a Senator amounts to N14 million per month.

“I earn N14 million for everything in a month. That is everything encompassing, the overhead, the worker’s salary, everybody,” Kalu said.

The former governor of Abia State also emphasized that the income is used to cover several expenses, such as transportation to his constituency and maintenance of his constituency office.

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He suggested that the sum is insufficient to meet these responsibilities, countering the belief that legislators enjoy excessive affluence while the general populace faces economic challenges.

Addressing criticisms about lawmakers receiving luxury vehicles, Kalu denied that individual Senators are given official cars. According to him, only committees in the National Assembly are assigned vehicles.

“I am in the Senate, and a lot of things are said about the Senators. 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 explained.

Economic Hardship and Tinubu’s Awareness
The Senator acknowledged the economic difficulties faced by Nigerians, noting that the situation is part of a global trend. He attributed some of Nigeria’s economic challenges to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that countries with long-established, strong economies have managed to recover more swiftly.

Kalu also praised President Bola Tinubu’s awareness of the hardships citizens are experiencing, stating that the president has been making efforts to monitor the situation firsthand.

“The president himself knows that Nigerians are suffering and hungry. He is a street person; he knows the street very well. The president some nights uses his car to go around and know what is happening in Abuja,” Kalu said.

This candid discussion sheds light on the realities of legislative earnings and the efforts to address Nigeria’s economic difficulties amid public criticism of the National Assembly.