Editor’s Note: This article is being edited…
By Ukorebi Essien
CALABAR (CONVERSEER) – This afternoon (21st September 2025), while trying to catch up with an engagement at the Ernest Etim Bassey Press Centre of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Cross River State Council, I, alongside Efio-Ita Nyok stumbled upon Rt. Hon. Hilary Bisong, a three-term member of the Cross River State House of Assembly representing Boki II State Constituency and the Chief Whip of the House.
In the course of our brief meeting, the cerebral lawmaker disclosed that the basic salary of a Cross River State House of Assembly member ranges from about ₦680,000 for ordinary members to ₦750,000 for ranking members. He further added that members are entitled to about ₦1.5 million for overheads and another ₦200,000 for staff salaries (PAs, SAs, media aides, etc.).
This brings the total monthly take-home for a legislator in Cross River State to roughly ₦2.4 million.
When probed further, he denied the existence of any other subheads aside from the three mentioned above. However, after much argument, he acknowledged the provisions of the latest Cross River State Local Government Law (2025, as amended), which stipulates that 1% of all LG funds should be given to the State Assembly. He clarified that it was initially 0.5%, but the recent amendment increased it to 1%.
He also revealed that the Assembly has not received this money since last year.
Now let’s do a simple calculation: Local Governments in Cross River State receive a minimum of ₦300 million to ₦600 million monthly as allocation from FAAC. Using the minimum ₦300 million × 18 LGAs, that amounts to ₦5.4 billion.
By law, 1% of this goes to the Assembly — a minimum of about ₦54 million monthly. Divided by the 25 members, you will have little above ₦2 million per legislator.
This implies that, given the amended LG law, a lawmaker is entitled to over ₦2 million monthly.
For the sake of fairness and state development, let’s assume the House remits the ₦54 million monthly accruals from LG funds to the state government and, in return, is allocated 10% of it. That would be ₦5.4 million. Divided among the 25 members, each would go home with about ₦2 million monthly — aside from their basic salaries, overheads, and allowances.
And from my hindsight as a journalist, I know there are other subheads through which lawmakers make money.
Therefore, I can confidently conclude that the mega empowerment programme recently embarked upon by the Speaker of the Cross River State 10th Assembly, Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem, cannot and should not be attributed to the mere savings of ₦2.4 million monthly earnings. Likewise, the attempted removal of the Speaker cannot be because he presides over an Assembly that earns only ₦2.4 million monthly.
An insider in government disclosed that Governor Bassey Edet Otu has consistently shown the House members massive love. A typical example is the ₦25 million December package given to each member to celebrate Christmas with their constituents.
George Odok Jnr., Stanley Bassey, Stanley Bassey Okon Nsemo Andrea Ekeng Inyang, and others, this is not in any way an attempt to invite or drag anybody, but simply to inform Cross Riverians. The truth is, everything I’ve stated here is already in the public domain.
What I cannot categorically say is whether these monies are actually released to lawmakers. The law provides 1% of LG funds, and also stipulates that several other percentages of different funds should be given to the Assembly. Just as the law allocates over ₦500 million monthly to LGAs, yet they reportedly receive only about ₦50 million.
This is what the law says — but whether it is fully enforced is another matter.
But you see this House of Assembly, I can freely tell you that mkpo do ke mbio!
#IamOracle
Voice of the Common Man
Ukorebi Esien writes for The Daily News (TDN), and the views contained in this analysis are his and do not reflect those of Converseer.
