In a follow up to the move initiated by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to review the emoluments of the Nigerian political office holders in the country, the Organised Labour through the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has called for a downwards review of the said salaries. Comrade, Ayuba Wabba, the NLC President made this call during a press briefing in Abuja today.
The NLC boss revealed that the political office holders in Nigeria were being overpaid compared to what is obtainable in other climes around the world.
According to him, he said all Nigerians go to the same Market, if so, then why should the politicians take as they want from the government coffers regardless of the law, saying there must be a fair level playing ground as a condition for all parties who draw money from government coffers.
In his statement, “I was thinking that wage review should be upward or downwards, but Wabba said, “in the case of our political elites, it should be downwards.”
Wabba opined that in Countries like South Africa, the margin between minimum wage and that of the politician emolument can be quantified, however in Nigeria even rocket science cannot find what parameters are used to pay politicians.
He queried when workers were receiving N18,000 minimum wage, RMAFC reviewed politicians salaries to 800 percent.
Meanwhile, the NLC called on President Buhari as a matter of urgency to find solutions to the lingering security problems that have denied Nigerians freedom, saying we are all witness Nigeria currently is not safe.
While speaking on the spate of the killing targeting the military and soft targets by the Boko Haram, Wabba queried if the successes of the past done by the military were not reversed.
However, concerning the sack of the service chiefs, the NLC President said he does not want to be political, that should be decided by the president, all he wants is for peace to return.
