The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Ebonyi chapter and stakeholders in Ebonyi have called on the Federal Government to prioritise security and welfare of the ordinary citizens.
The stakeholders made the call in separate interviews with our correspondent on Friday in Abakaliki.
Labour and the stakeholders spoke against the backdrop of a recent proposal by the National Assembly and to raise the payment of elected political office holders in Nigeria.
They faulted the proposed upward review of salaries and allowances of elected political office holders and described the move as insensitive and unjustifiable in view of Nigeria’s current economic situation.
According to them, the plan by government agencies, including the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), to raise the pay of top government functionaries at a time when the minimum wage of N70,000 had been eroded by inflation amounted to a show of disregard for the plight of ordinary Nigerians.
Prof. Egwu Oguguo of the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike (A-E FUNAI) and Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ebonyi chapter, said that such proposal was anti-people and “against the law of natural justice.”
He added that while millions of Nigerians battled with hunger and multidimensional poverty, government officials should not contemplate enriching themselves further.
“It is actually very insensitive for government to consider raising the pay of officials while citizens are lost in survival struggles.
“Any such increase will only widen inequality, fuel social vices and provoke public anger,” Oguguo said.
Similarly, Prof. Fidelis Ochim of the Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State warned that the proposed increment was a disservice to Nigerians who have continued to endure hardship caused by mismanagement of the economy.
According to him, the state’s duty is to ensure security and welfare of its citizens, not to prioritise the comfort of a privileged few.
“Our leaders should prioritise the welfare and security of the ordinary citizens who are daily struggling against economic hardship and insecurity,” Ochim said.
Also reacting, Mr Chidi Ude, an Abakaliki-based legal practitioner, said the proposal was a negation of constitutional principles of equity.
He argued that Nigeria political leaders, already among the highest paid in the world, could not justify salary increment when civil servants were owed arrears and pensioners left to languish.
“The proposed pay rise for the elected office holders by the National Assembly lacks justification and could further lead to economic paralysis,” Ude said.
On his part, Ms Angela Nwafor, Coordinator of the Civil Society Coalition for Good Governance, said the move further reinforced perceptions that the political class was disconnected from realities on ground.
She said Nigeria’s democracy was endangered when governance appeared to serve the interest of less than one per cent of the population.
“The Senate President once made joked as ‘you protest, we are eating’. This pay rise agenda shows the same mindset.
“It is the principle of sound leadership to pursue self-interest while failing to provide basic infrastructure, health and education for the majority,” she said.
The stakeholders collectively urged government to shelve the idea of increasing salaries of political office holders and instead channel resources to fixing the economy, improving workers’ pay and addressing insecurity.
They warned that continued insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians could trigger social unrest. ENDS//
