The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed concern over the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission(RMAFC)’s proposed salary increase for political office holders, calling it insensitive and inequitable.
Joe Ajaero, NLC President, said this in a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday in Abuja.
Ajaero described the move as “insensitive, unjust, inequitable” and will only succeed in deepening the growing inequality between civil servants and political officeholders.
“It will equally deepen poverty among the generality of Nigerians, majority of whom have not only been adjudged to be multi-dimensionally poor, live miserably poor,” he said.
He, however, described the justification by the commission as weak.
Ajaero said that the justification ignores huge perks and advantages that political officeholders already enjoy.
The NLC president said that this was aside from other unwritten and unmentionable advantages that set them apart from the other disadvantaged citizenry.
“This exercise is coming at a time of promotion and salary freeze in most public subsectors and the continued imposition and operation of N70,000 minimum wage,” he said.
“This is because there are no resources to pay higher in spite of the rising tariffs and economic hardship.”
Ajaero recalled previous wage reviews, civil servants received less than 50 per cent, while political office holders saw increases exceeding 800 per cent.
According to him, we equally note with dismay that whereas states operate different pay structures for civil servants, the pay structures of political officeholders are the same across the country.
“This explains why a councillor in Yobe earns the same salary as a councillor in Rivers.
“While we recognise the need for good remuneration packages, they should be across the board and equitable and not done on the basis of discrimination,” he said.
According to him, that runs contrary to the letter and spirit of our constitution
He, therefore, demanded that the current earnings of all political officeholders should be made public.
The president said that the benchmark for the proposed review should also be made public.
He called on RMAFC to halt the exercise before it triggers a tsunami in the country.
