Yagba Action Group (YAG), a socio-political organisation based in Kogi State, has slammed the video making the rounds on the social media, which captured House of Representatives member, Leke Abejide, reeling out the monthly take-home of each lawmaker. YAG described the doctored video as “a market noise”, which should be shunned by Abejide in avoidance of “unnecessary distractions to his good work”.
Abejide, a second term lawmaker, represents Yagba Federal Constituency, Kogi State. In the video, believed to have been doctored, Abejide started by saying he earns N2.5 million as basic salary, N5 million for accommodation, N7.5 million for furniture, N1.2 million for newspaper, N621,000 for wardrobe and N248,000 for recess, monthly.
The manipulated video trending on TikTok turned out to be the abridged version of Abejide’s actual words spoken on the floor of the House, last Thursday, ostensibly to suit the purpose of the misinformation.
However, in the original video, the lawmaker had drawn the attention of his colleagues to one Adeola Fayekun, a social media influencer, who actually made the alleged bogus claims about the earnings of federal lawmakers and circulated on the social media.
Fact-check shows that Abejide only refuted the allegations of Fayehun. The lawmaker, in his point of order, raised on the floor of the House said his privilege had been breached, being a member of the House and based on the misinformation stating his alleged bogus earnings, which has been spreading among his constituents. He urged the House leadership to take decisive action, failure of which he vowed to take action personally.
“Mr Speaker, Honourable colleagues, my privilege has been breached by one Adeola Fayehun, who alleged on social media that I, a member of this House collect basic salary of 2.5m per month, furniture allowance N7.5m per month, newspaper allowance N1.2m, wardrobe allowance N621,000, recess allowance N248,000 per month, accommodation allowance N4.9m per month, utility allowance N828,000, personal assistant allowance 621,000 per month and so on. If the House cannot take this up as a case against her, I, Elder Leke Joseph Abejide will take it up with her, because in my own constituency this is what is spreading around that I take this amount”.
Abejide recalled how he took it upon himself to display his pay-slips to the world on a cable television during his first term, and declared that the House had nothing to hide from Nigerians.
Meanwhile, YAG in a statement by its General Coordinator, Toba Adebayo Belushi, urged Abejide to concentrate on his responsibility to deliver on his mandate while shunning distractions such as the manipulated video trending on the social media.
Adebayo who described Abejide as a “dependable, reliable representative of Yagba people” and “Our son in whom we are well pleased”, said the doctored video in circulation only constituted unnecessary distraction. He advised the lawmaker not to dissipate his energy on what he described as “ariwo oja” (noise of the market).
He added, “Abejide has served Yagbaland, and indeed Okunland with distinctive verve and diligence, since his first day in the parliament. From payment of WASSCE examination fees to distribution vehicles to traditional rulers and individuals across the three local governments; from the yearly Leke Abejide Foundation Medical Oureach to widows empowerment; from rehabilitation of roads, bridges and culverts to equipping hospitals; from rural electrification projects and electricity infrastructure to provisions of scholarships and bursaries for indigent students; from enhancing agricultural productivity to building of ICT Centre, facilitating the absorption of Yagba sons and daughters into the Nigerian Customs Service, military, police and various federal ministries, departments and agencies, (MDAs), thereby providing lifelong livelihoods for them. It is very interesting to state that Hon Leke Abejide started some of these programmes prior to his first election to the House of Representatives”.
