The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed concerns over the Revenue Mobilisation, 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 journalists on Sunday in Abuja.
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Mr Ajaero described the move as” insensitive, unjust, inequitable and will only succeed in deepening the growing inequality between civil servants and political office holders.
”It will equally deepen poverty among the generality of Nigerians, the majority of whom have not only been adjudged to be multidimensionally poor, live miserably poor,” he said.
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He, however, described the justification by the commission as weak.
Mr Ajaero said the justification ignores huge perks and advantages political office holders already enjoy.
The NLC president said 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.
“This is because there are no resources to pay higher in spite of the rising tariffs and economic hardship,” he said.
Mr 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, the NLC equally noted with dismay that whereas states operate different pay structures for civil servants, the pay structures of political office holders are the same across the country.
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“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 board and equitable and not done on the basis of discrimination,” he said.
The NLC said the proposed move by RMAFC “runs contrary to the letter and spirit of our constitution”.
He, therefore, demanded that the current earnings of all political office holders should be made public.
The NLC president said that the benchmark for the proposed review should equally be made public.
He called on RMAFC to put on hold the exercise before it triggers a tsunami in the country.
(NAN)
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