BREAKING: Enugu Assembly Members Claim Governor Owes Them Two Months’ Salaries: ‘We’re Hungry’
The Enugu State House of Assembly is facing a severe financial crisis, with members going without salaries and allowances for two months.
According to sources, the non-payment of salaries and allowances has become a recurring issue under Governor Peter Mbah’s administration. In January and February, members were not paid until the end of March, and a similar pattern was repeated in May and June, with payments delayed until July.
As of Tuesday, the current salary arrears and allowances owed to members covered the period of August and September 2025. State commissioners are reportedly facing similar challenges.
The non-payment has significantly impacted the Assembly’s operations, with members confirming that it has affected the smooth running of the House.
One lawmaker lamented that they have been reduced to a “mere rubber-stamp Assembly” due to the financial struggles.
“Yes, the Enugu State government hasn’t paid members of the State Assembly for the past two months,” one of the Assembly members confirmed to SaharaReporters on Tuesday.
“On January 4, 2025, the President came to Enugu. The members of the House were not paid until March. When Remi Tinubu came, we were not paid until two months later. Now, after hosting the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference, we still haven’t been paid for August and September.”
The lawmaker lamented the situation, describing it as unfortunate.
“We are talking about hunger here, and it’s not just in the House of Assembly – all the ministries have no overhead funding. Our payments are peanuts. What the House of Assembly members received in 2015 is still what we receive,” the lawmaker said.
“We are the poorest-paid House of Assembly members in Nigeria. We don’t have any constituency projects; nothing.”
One of the lawmakers also criticised the administration’s handling of contracts, alleging fraudulent awards and a lack of transparency.
The lawmaker said, “The governor will award contracts without any process. Earlier this year, by January, it was said that the Enugu State government account was hacked, and over N1 billion was removed. However, the police and other security agencies, including the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), investigated and stated that no account was hacked and no money was removed from the Enugu State government account. What happened was that a contract was awarded through fraudulent means.”
The lawmaker expressed frustration with the governor’s leadership style, saying, “The governor has reduced the House of Assembly to worse than a rubber-stamp Assembly.”
He also highlighted the financial struggles faced by lawmakers, including delayed payments and inadequate housing allowances.
“We, as members of the House, are in a fix. The Speaker himself has been handicapped. He’ll go to the Government House to see the governor and will be made to stay there for hours without seeing the governor,” the lawmaker said.
“Others will come and go, and see the governor and leave. We’ve been reduced to worse than a rubber-stamp House of Assembly. Is there something worse than a rubber stamp? That’s what we’ve been reduced to.”
The lawmaker also raised concerns about the state government’s debt, abandoned projects, and alleged corruption in contract awards.
“The governor owes contractors billions, and many roads under construction have been abandoned across the state,” the lawmaker said.
“He borrowed N170 billion. The House approved Globus Bank and one other bank for the loan, but all of a sudden, he changed and no longer used the same banks the House had approved without returning to the House to make the necessary changes.
“In the budget, it was provided that all members of the House would receive Toyota Prado SUVs. However, instead of Toyota, he went and bought Chinese products without coming back to the House for virements and renegotiation. These vehicles are paper vehicles, and before you get the parts, you’ll suffer. Even if he had bought Innoson vehicles, a locally produced vehicle in Nigeria, it would have been justified. What kind of government are we running here in Enugu?”
“The Speaker is still driving the car given to him when he was Deputy Speaker under Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s administration. It’s the same car the Speaker is using to date, despite being a new Speaker?” the lawmaker added.