The lawmaker representing Borno South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Ali Ndume, says he is often compared with other politicians who have questionable and unexplained wealth.

Ndume made this remark while speaking with Channels Television on Monday.

“I am a politician, and people are expecting much from me, so they try to compare me with others who have questionable sources of wealth and expect me to do the same,” said Ndume.

When the lawmaker was asked if he had questionable wealth, he noted that he couldn’t be a judge in his own case.

“I cannot evaluate myself. I dont think you will believe me when I tell you what is in my account. I know myself. Everyone has his own way of thinking,” the lawmaker added.

According to Ndume, politicians with questionable wealth are often celebrated in Nigeria. He added that religious leaders such as pastors and imams are also guilty of this practice.

“In this country, unexplained wealth is being celebrated. Questionable wealth is being celebrated. That affects our total resources. My salary as of last month, when I saw it, was N750,000. Some lawmakers in the national assembly didnt have good cars to ride or houses, but within a short period, they spent extravagantly.

You would see someone spending N100 million at once on an occasion. When they attend church, they will sit in the front row, and the pastor will say, ‘God has blessed you.’ At the mosque, the imam would wait for him, and he would get the first pew just because he has unexplained wealth,” Ndume added.

The lawmaker also compared the attitude towards corruption in modern-day Nigeria to the country’s early years of independence, adding that corruption has been legitimised in modern-day Nigeria.