A storm of criticism has erupted following the announcement by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to undertake a “comprehensive upward review” of the remuneration for political office holders, with Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) describing the move as “insensitive, unjust, and inequitable.”
In a statement issued on Sunday, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, demanded the immediate suspension of the exercise, warning that it risked triggering a “tsunami” of public anger and further entrenching the “apartheid” between the political class and ordinary Nigerians.
The rebuke comes at a time when millions of Nigerians are grappling with severe economic hardship, a situation the statement highlighted by referencing the country’s “multidimensionally poor” citizenry who “live miserably poor.”
Ajaero faulted the justifications offered by RMAFC Chairman, Mr. Mohammed Usman, describing his explanations as “largely puerile” and an insult to the collective intelligence of Nigerians.
“Making public-office a sanctuary for wealth-making (for literally doing nothing) instead of service and sacrifice will raise the stakes and desperation for the quest for public office with its intended and unintended consequences including self-extinction,” Ajaero cautioned.
The labour leader presented a stark contrast in the treatment of civil servants versus political office holders. He revealed that while the last wage review for civil servants was not more than 50 percent, that of political office holders done shortly after was “in excess of 800 per cent.”
He further criticised the disparity in application of rules, noting that while civil servant wage reviews are “dependent on resource availability,” the same constraint “does not operate” for politicians.
The statement also pointed out the incongruity of a uniform pay structure for political officials across all 36 states, which ensures a Councillor in fiscally strained Yobe State earns the same as one in oil-rich Rivers State, while civil servants in those same states operate on different salary scales.
Accordingly, the NLC President demanded the immediate public disclosure of all current political office holders’ earnings and the full transparency of the benchmark used for the proposed review, insisting that the RMAFC must indefinitely suspend the review process to avoid a potential tsunami of public backlash.
The RMAFC had previously argued that the review was necessary to reflect current economic realities and to attract qualified individuals to public service. However, critics argue that such a move, while the minimum wage remains stagnant and many states struggle to pay even the current salaries, is the height of insensitivity and risks widening the dangerous gulf between the governing and the governed.
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