People In Power Have Problems Too – Musiliu Obanikoro

Hon. Musiliu Obanikoro has come out to say that lawmakers do not earn as much as people think they do.

According to him, reports that lawmakers earn a jumbo pay is just a misconception.

He added that because people are in a position of power does not mean their own problem is over and Nigerians should stop thinking like that.

His words, “By the logic of life, you can’t satisfy everybody. You just try to satisfy as many people as possible. And until Nigerians themselves start changing their mentality to realise that because you are elected, that does not mean that all your own problems are ended. Because that’s the mentality. They say ‘because he’s in govt, he doesn’t have any problems any longer. Let me pile all my problems on him.”

“So you have millions calling you, trying to take out of the so called jumbo pay. I don’t agree that it should be called jumbo pay, even though I used to be of that opinion when I was also trying to get into the system. But now that I’m in the system, it’s peanuts really, because by the political set-up and the environment that we find ourselves, everybody is calling you.

“And you find out that by the time you give to half of the people harassing you or pleading (for one favour or the other), you end up spending from your own private company or income.

“Maybe when mentality changes and people stop running to elected officials, we can now revisit the issue of jumbo pay. Sometimes, it’s not about poverty, it’s about a mindset. People are just entitled.”

“I take home N400,000 as salary every month. Other allowances come once a year. The rent that they pay you..housing that they pay you, comes once in a year and that’s about 3 million Naira or so. Furniture allowance is not yearly, it’s once every four years. If you are conversant with Abuja as well, you’d know that N3 million cannot get you a house in the city center. You have to go to the suburbs for that amount.

“And then the car they believe they give us, no, you are actually paying for it. So, every four years, you get a new car. But you are paying for it..it’s being taken out of your salary. It’s just that it’s spread out in such a way that you don’t feel the pain. It’s not the way it looks from outside.”