The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Ebonyi chapter and other stakeholders have urged the Federal Government to prioritise security and welfare of Nigerians.
The stakeholders made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abakaliki.
They were reacting to a proposal by the National Assembly to raise the salaries and allowances of political office holders in Nigeria.
They faulted the proposed upward review and described the move as insensitive and unjustifiable in view of Nigeria’s current economic situation.
The stakeholders said 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, the chairman, NLC, Ebonyi chapter, said that such proposal was anti-people and “against the law of natural justice.”
Oguguo, also a lecturer at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo (AE- FUNAI) said 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.
Mr Chidi Ude, an Abakaliki-based legal practitioner, said the proposal was a negation of constitutional principles of equity.
He argued that 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.
Ms Angela Nwafor, the 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 jokingly said; 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 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.
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