The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned the move by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to review upwards the salaries and allowances of political office holders, describing it as “insensitive, unjust and inequitable.”
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, in a statement, said the plan was not only a slap in the face of struggling workers but also a recipe for deepening poverty and widening inequality in the country.
He accused the RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Usman, of offering “puerile explanations” that failed to address the extravagant privileges political office holders already enjoy, while ordinary Nigerians continue to live in dire conditions.
“This exercise is coming at a time of salary and promotion freezes in most public subsectors, and when workers are being forced to survive on a minimum wage of N70,000 because government claims there are no resources to pay more,” Ajaero said.
The labour leader recalled that the last wage review for civil servants was capped at less than 50 per cent, while politicians secured an increase of over 800 per cent a year later. He warned that turning public office into a “sanctuary for wealth-making” instead of service would only heighten desperation and desperation-driven politics.
Ajaero further decried the uniform pay structure for political office holders across states, pointing out that it was unjust that a councillor in Yobe earns the same as a councillor in Rivers, while civil servants remain subjected to varied structures.
The NLC demanded that the current earnings of all political office holders be made public, alongside the benchmark for the proposed review. It also called on the RMAFC to suspend the exercise “before it triggers a tsunami of public anger.”
“The NLC recognises the need for fair remuneration packages, but they must be across board and equitable. Anything short of this is discriminatory and violates the spirit of our constitution,” Ajaero declared.
