Ejike Mbaka, the controversial Catholic priest, says
governors and members of the national assembly should also earn the N62,000
minimum wage proposed by the federal government.
The cleric was reacting to the new minimum wage demand by
the organised labour.
On June 3, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade
Union Congress (TUC) embarked on an indefinite strike over the federal
government’s failure to meet their demand for a new minimum wage, disrupting
essential services.
The next day, the groups “relaxed” the industrial action for
one week to allow negotiations with the federal government on a new minimum
wage.
The federal government and the organised labour subsequently
resumed negotiations on June 6 — where the new wage was proposed.
Speaking in an interview with AIT on Saturday, Mbaka said
governors, senators, and members of the house of representatives should also
earn the N62,000 minimum wage.
Salaries of members of the national assembly have been
shrouded in secrecy, eliciting speculations and debate from Nigerians.
“We can push these
poor Nigerians to the point of rebellion. That is my fear. All of us were in
Lagos that day, we couldn’t come back,” the cleric said.
“Just like a joke the labour people entered into the airport
and stopped every operation and if this happen again it might tantamount to
what nobody dreams or what we dream but out of fear we cannot release to the
public.
“If we decide to give labour N60,000 or N62,000, why not
generalise it to the house of assembly members, senatorial members, house of
representative members, and governors?
”All of them are civil servants. So, are the others slaves?
I cannot imagine why somebody can be amassing billions and billions as sitting
allowance, wardrobe allowance, newspaper allowance, vehicle allowance and what
they call suffering allowance.
“The people that should have such allowances should be the
poor masses in the villages.
“As teachers, how much are they being paid? Our nurses and
doctors, how much are they being paid? Let us be realistic, our civil servants
that wake from Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.
“They wake up early and return late. How much are they being
paid. And look at the level of inflation in the country.”
Mbaka said asked the government to “speedily” address the
minimum wage issue with the organised labour to avoid another strike.
The cleric said it is a matter of handling the bull by the
horn tactfully but very speedily because “if they are not careful, this crisis
of a thing can be hijacked and nobody knows the ripples effect”.
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