I Never Received Salary, Don’t Know How Much Senators Earn — Okorocha

Former Governor and Senator for Imo West, Chief Rochas Okorocha, has revealed that since becoming a Senator over two years ago, he has never gotten a penny in salary from the National Assembly.

This was despite the fact that the philanthropist claimed he did not get a salary from the Imo State Government during his eight years as Governor.

While interacting with members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council in Abuja on Monday, Okorocha also denied knowing how much a Senator receives as a monthly base pay or allowances.

The senator was visiting the NUJ for a talk with Abuja Journalists as part of preparations for his 59th birthday, which falls on September 22, 2021.

According to him, the National Assembly Management had his full agreement from the start of his service as Senator to channel his monthly pay and other allowances into charity, which the Management initially objected to.

“I have never received salary as a Senator. Even as a Governor of Imo State, I didn’t draw a penny for the years I spent. I hate public funds. One thing about public funds is that, if you don’t work for it, don’t collect it because it has spiritual implications”, Okorocha told the Journalists.

Speaking further on the basic salaries and allowances of Senators, Okorocha said, “I don’t know how much a Senator earns. But I think the basic salary is around N2m, but allowance is around N3m for housing, then transportation and other allowances put together to be around N10m or N11m, not too sure”.

Okorocha who has been clamouring for the reduction in the cost of governance by reducing the number of Senators to one for each State and three House of Representatives Members from each state, however, said the take home of the Senators was not that much, compared to their status and the cost of living.

“But truly speaking, can the N3m for housing allowance pay for the rent of a Senator? Except if you want them to go and live in Maraba and Nyanya.

“I have advocated that we reduce the numbers of Senators and Reps Members, but they said NO. So, if we must have these numbers of lawmakers in Nigeria, then we should be able to carter for their welfare also”, he added.

Okorocha, who talked on a wide range of subjects related to governance, unity, and development in Nigeria, also stated that the judiciary must be strengthened in order to drive citizens and leaders to be patriotic, since this is where the Nigerian state’s grandeur rests.

The NUJ presented Senator Okorocha with the icon of humanitarian award in recognition of his services to the emancipation of Nigerian children through his foundation.