Former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi on Thursday disclosed that the earnings of governors in Nigeria is more outrageous than that of the senators.
Obi made the revelation while speaking as a panelist at the dialogue organised by Ripples Center for Data and Investigative Journalism said that if he revealed how much a Nigerian governor earns, Nigerians will be more infuriated than their earlier reaction to the N13.5 million monthly pay of senators.
His words: "None of you knows what a governor earns, quote me anywhere if you know you won't be here. It is something you can't imagine.
You just know the one of senators, and you are shouting, but what if you know that of the governors? America's GDP is way above Nigeria's but an American senator earns $174,000 (about N50 million) a year and you can imagine what his Nigerian counterpart earns in a month.
In America, governors earn according to their state. The governor of California is the highest paid in America, and he earns $192, 000. The smallest state earns $70, 000. .
But in Nigeria, I can tell you because I've been there, the cost of just keeping convoys alone is in millions.
While in power, I reduced the vehicles in my convoy to four and I never used a bulletproof car. I asked them, why are all these vehicles following me, and nobody was able to explain to me.
I asked them why do we need to spend about N30 million fueling these vehicles that 60% are empty when following me? What is the essence of a bulletproof car? Anyone who wants to kill you would come when you are out of the car. For eight years I didn't use, and they didn't kill me."
Answering a question on how to get Nigerians out of the situation the country is at the moment.
Obi said, "The main critical component of governance is trust, do Nigerians trust their government, the answer is no.
"The trust we voted this government for was because it promised us it will solve our problems, but when they get there they are telling us what they met there."
Making reference to the bill on not too young to run, Obi said that there was nothing wrong in young people ruling Nigeria so long as they are good.
"If too young is good let him rule, we don't want people that will give us excuses that these are what we met. We want people that can tell us these are what we will do."
The erstwhile governor lamented the level of nepotism in the current government, describing it as the highest form of corruption"
"Nepotism has now become a measure of competence, the only people you now hire are your relatives. These are the things that do not augur well with a society and what Nigeria is facing.
"When you have leaders who do things on merit the agitation we have in the country today will end. In a country where you have 10 million people out of school, there is no way we cannot have the agitation we have in Nigeria today."
The governor regretted the kind of followers Nigerians have become, lamenting that they have become "insanely complaisant", and have become the worst problem for the country than the leaders.
Also noting that Nigeria's problem is having leaders who are not prepared to lead but were forced to become leaders, Obi linked Nigerian leaders to comedians, saying that "Clarus and Gregory are now in charge of Nigerian government."
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