The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), the Middle Belt Forum (MBF) and the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) have told the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to reconsider its proposed upward review of salaries of political office holders.

In separate interviews, they described the plan to review up the salaries of politicians, judicial and public office by 114 percent as insensitive and an affront to millions of suffering and struggling Nigerians.

Muhammed Shehu, Chairman of the Commission, in an interview with NAN, said the salary of President Bola Tinubu was less than N1.5 million while ministers earn less than N1 million.

The RMAFC chairman said it was untrue that public officeholders were getting jumbo salaries.

?I want to disabuse the minds of Nigerians. It is not true that people are getting jumbo salaries. The monthly salary of Mr. President is less than N1.5 million; that of a minister is not even up to N1 million.

?I know of an average CBN worker that is not even a director, who earns more than a minister.

?People in NNPC, NCC, and the ports authority earn huge salaries. What is the salary of a governor? What is the salary of a legislator??

The RMAFC chairman said what is considered outrageous earnings are statutory office running costs, which should ordinarily be managed centrally by the National Assembly Service Commission (NASS).

?I know some people will say members of the National Assembly get up to N10 million or N11 million monthly. Those are not salaries; they are like operating costs of running their offices which in other societies the legislator does not have to see because there is a structure.

?Once you get elected, you make that structure from your constituency office to computers to logistics to the size of your constituency.

?Wherever you have constituency office, the workers you hire, it is the National Assembly Service commission that is supposed to take care of that.?

He said the Nigerian system allows a legislator to be allocated a certain amount, which is spent and the receipts retired.

CUPP cautions

Reacting, yesterday, CUPP Secretary, Chief Peter Ameh, urged the commission to prioritise the welfare of Nigerians, particularly those in the public service, who, he said, had been neglected for too long.

He said the coalition shared the concerns of many Nigerians who questioned the necessity and timing of the proposal. The CUPP chairman wondered the rationale behind prioritising the appetites of public officials over the desperate needs of the masses.

?The proposed 114 percent salary increase for political office holders is not only unjustifiable but also tone-deaf, considering the economic realities facing our country.

?We believe that political office is a service to the nation, not a means to accumulate wealth.

?The lack of transparency regarding the current earnings of these officials, including substantial allowances and perks, is fueling public skepticism and mistrust.

?Nigerians demand transparency since these earnings are funded by public resources,? he said

Ameh urged the government to redirect its focus toward improving the living conditions of public workers, who are the backbone of the country.

?We believe that this is a matter of utmost importance and urgency, and we expect the government to take immediate action to address the concerns of our citizens,? he said.

ADC, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the proposed pay rise showed that the Federal Government is disconnected from the people. It noted that the proposed pay rise would lead to substantial pay increases for the president, vice president, governors and other top officials, at a time when millions of citizens are contending with the effects of inflation, rising fuel costs and an inadequate minimum wage.

The party said: ?We are aware of the Commission?s constitutional mandate to periodically review relevant emoluments of political office holders in the country. However, proposing such a review at a time when millions of Nigerians are struggling with soaring food inflation, high cost of fuel, inadequate and largely unpaid minimum wage would indicate a total disregard for the people.

?While the chairman of RMAFC attempted to justify the proposed increases by describing the current pay structure of political office holders as ?inadequate, unrealistic, and outdated,? the ADC wishes to draw the public?s attention to the fact that these salaries are already supplemented with sundry bogus and opaque allowances, perks and other discretionary funds, which together far exceed what ordinary Nigerians earn.

?How else are the political office holders able to support their lifestyle of luxury and opulence if indeed these ?outdated? salaries mean anything to them? For perspective, our national minimum wage stands at N70,000 per month, a figure that has been largely eroded by the APC?s inflation, even where it has been paid.?

Consequently, the party stated that the government should prioritise the increase of the minimum wage to ?living wage? and ensure timely and fair salaries for civil servants, as well as strengthen social welfare programmes for the vulnerable Nigerians, rather than enriching political elites.

?Unlike the public office holders, most Nigerians do not receive additional allowances or emoluments to cushion the effects of the rising costs of living. This is why this proposed plan to increase the salaries of public office holders is not only tone-deaf, but also an all-out affront to the Nigerian people. It signals that the government is clearly disconnected from the struggles of ordinary citizens.

?In light of these developments, the ADC demands that this absurd plan be suspended immediately. No such increase should be implemented while ordinary citizens are grappling with extreme financial hardship. The government should focus on improving the lives of the people rather than improving the salaries of the President and other political office holders who already live in obscene indulgence.

?The government has no moral right to demand sacrifice from ordinary citizens, while they focus on making lives easier for themselves. Political office holders cannot be insulated from the economic hardship, while the everyday-Nigerian suffers.?

NLC: It?s insensitive

Also reacting, the National Deputy General Secretary of the NLC, Chris Onyeka, faulted the plan, describing it as wicked, insensitive and fiscally irresponsible.

The union warned that such a move would be insensitive and unacceptable at a time millions of Nigerians are battling severe economic hardship.

?That is exactly what we have been talking about. They want to increase their salaries at the detriment of the poor. You are talking about increasing salaries for people who are already swimming in wealth while Nigerians are suffering and even the minimum wage has not been fully implemented: that is wickedness. It is insensitive.

?Look at the billions that they spend at the National Assembly to pay allowances; sitting allowance, wardrobe allowance, travel allowance and what have you. Was it not at the National Assembly that they used over 160 million to buy cars for themselves, did the ordinary worker get a dime of that money?

?One of the reasons they gave for not being able to pay the minimum wage proposed by labour was that there was no money but suddenly the country now has enough money to increase the salaries and wages of people who are already swimming in wealth. And I?m sure what they are talking about is not just salaries but allowances. Nigerians are not gullible.

?Let us assume that they are not paid enough. Is this the best time to bring up the issue? When there is so much hardship, cost of living and everything has gone up? That is insensitive. These people do not care about the plight of the ordinary Nigerian.

?I guess they are trying to play out the Bible maxim which says: to those who have, more shall be given; but from those who do not, even what they have shall be taken away and given to those who have.

?This is a wake-up call. Nigerians should rise to the occasion and vote out those who do not have the interest of the masses at heart come 2027.

?Because this is unacceptable, it is morally wrong and it is fiscally irresponsible. Instead of increasing their own pay, they should find a way to increase that of workers including myself.

?One day Nigerians will no longer be able to take it and they will become uncontrollable.?

On whether NLC plans to oppose the move, he said, ?Well, that is not for me to say, it is what the leadership of the Congress and its affiliates will sit together and look at whether it is something that requires protest, a dialogue or something else. We would then decide.?

Chairperson of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Lagos State chapter, Funmi Sessi, also opposed the move.

?It was very difficult for labour to even secure N70,000 as minimum wage, now the government is talking about increasing their own salaries. Before now, they were already earning very high and had strong purchasing power. We all live in the same society, buying the same goods and paying the same bills. For the government to consider raising their salaries at this time will only worsen the situation.

?Their salaries should also be subjected to a law, not something the government can unilaterally increase at will. If our salaries are negotiated through processes, theirs should equally be subjected to the same. They are not on minimum wage, so why should they increase their own when workers are left struggling?

?This is why people are losing trust in the government. In other countries, they don?t treat political office holders with such special preference. Political office is about service, not self-enrichment. But here, they keep enriching themselves while the poor workers are left behind. We already know how much lawmakers earn between N12 million, N15 million every month. Why talk of increasing it again? It will only make the masses lose more interest in governance.

?Then the salaries of political office holders should also be subjected to that same process. There should be no special treatment for them. Abroad, there is nothing extraordinary about political office holders. Many of them take such positions as service, not as a means of amassing wealth. But in Nigeria, they keep using it to enrich themselves. The economic reality affects everyone, so any salary review should be holistic, not one-sided in favour of politicians.?

Speaking to Daily Sun, the president of the Forum, Bitrus Pogu, said: ?Whoever advised the government to do this has advised wrongly. What we are expecting the government to do is to improve the purchasing power of Nigerians, improve the economy and the naira. We should not be talking about increasing politician?s income but rather improving the welfare of the average Nigerian.?

MAN kicks

Omokhia Ehimigbai, Board member, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) Export Group said a pay raise of politicians will cause more inflation.

?That is not necessary now with the state of the economy. These politicians collect all sorts of allowances yet they are not satisfied. That is corruption playing out. The cost of governance is high already and the President wants to make things worse. This will worsen the already collapsing economy.

?Most states have not been able to pay the 70 percent minimum wage or even the 30 percent minimum wage.

It?s very unfair of the government. The economy is already dead. We import crude oil more than we export

?They keep borrowing and borrowing and have borrowed the future of this country. We borrow more now after subsidy removal. No hope, yet, we want to keep increasing the pay of political office holders. It?s a pity. This is a misplaced priority. A lot of things have to be put in place in this country.? (Daily Sun)

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