Why Reps Member Since 2003, Wole Oke Declared N8.5m As “Peanut”

There is a growing controversy around the person of Federal Lawmaker Wole Oke.

The House of Representatives member suspended by his party, People’s Democratic Party for working against its interest in the emergence of Ndudi Elumelu is widely credited with declaring N8.5million as ‘’peanut’’ in a poverty ridden society.

Societynow.ng brings the assertion by Oke as made in the interview he granted national newspaper, Punch by reproducing the controversial portion…

Many Nigerians feel this is where corruption is headquartered and that the remuneration of its members is being kept secret.

The way to go is to operate an open-door policy. It is for the National Assembly to have their medium for information dissemination. In advanced countries like the United States, they have a television channel that is dedicated to parliamentary activities. We can have a radio station or a channel. Citizens must have access to information about the National Assembly. I will disagree with you that we have corruption in the National Assembly. I’ve been privileged to be here since 2003, I will disagree with you. What I earn as salary in the National Assembly is open. What I earn as running costs is open. And anybody who knows me too well will know that what I earn as salary and as running costs are peanuts compared to what I can earn from my private engagements.

Can you mention what you earn?

Why not? My salary, when you take away the taxes, is N606, 000. I have the payment voucher, I can publish it.

And the allowances?

Yes, I can publish everything given to me in the form of my salary and running costs. The running costs are retired.

What are the running costs?

The running costs amount to N8.5m. How much is N8.5m to me as a person? If you have to embark on research, looking at all the bills that I have sponsored in the House, you will see that those bills that I sponsored are not ones you can just come by anyhow; they are not bills that you pick on the shelve. I remember when I promoted the National Pension Commission Act, it took me out to Chile and other countries like Argentina, the United Kingdom and India. If you give me N8.5m and I have to go and find out what is happening aside from the information that I get from the Internet… Look at the tickets and see the flight costs even if I am flying economy class. So, how much is that? If I have to engage lawyers and professionals to prepare bills for me, to work on motions for me; and get researchers also. In the American Congress, do you know how much their running costs are? It is $1m. Do you know how much their salary is? It is $14,000 per month. Yet, you pay me $2,000 as salary.

So, I agree with you; we need to open up. And in the Eighth Assembly, we did open up. I remember a senator from Kaduna State (Shehu Sani) that stood up and declared what they earned (N13.5m as running costs).

But he was castigated internally…

That is because the parliament is never popular in any democracy. What is the official car given to a member of the parliament? Peugeot 508 (for members of the last House). A director-general of a parastatal, what is their official car? Lexus! Lexus! Somebody that I prepared his budget, somebody that I oversee; somebody that I’m senior to in hierarchy rides bulletproof (Toyota) Land Cruiser or Lexus bought for N78m. Go and find out. I chaired the Committee on Procurement, so I see these things. And you gave me (Peugeot) 508 that I can’t even ride. I don’t use it. I use my personal car because I like Toyota products due to fuel economy. But somebody that I oversee, who reports to me, has one, two or three sport-utility vehicles; Lexus and Land Cruiser. He has more votes than I do, yet you are blackmailing me.