Proposed pay rise for political officeholders may trigger tsunami, Ajaero warns

Joe Ajaero, president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has criticised the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) for hinting at a pay hike for political officeholders.

The RMAFC had disclosed that it was reviewing salaries in a way that could grant the president, vice-president, governors and other senior officials a significant pay increase.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Ajaero described the plan as “insensitive, unjust and inequitable”, warning that it would only succeed in deepening the growing inequality between civil servants and political officeholders.

“We have listened with a growing apprehension to the justification for this ill-advised adventure by the Chairman of RMAFC, Mr Mohammed Usman,” he said.

“But we find it appropriate to warn that making public-office a sanctuary for wealth-making (for literally doing nothing) instead of service and sacrifice will raise the stakes/desperation for the quest for public office with its intended and unintended consequences including self-extinction.”

The NLC president faulted the RMAFC’s justification, describing it as “largely puerile” and an insult to the collective intelligence of Nigerians, dismissing their reasoning as weak and unjustifiable.

He said the explanation ignored the “humongous advantages” attached to such offices, elegantly couched as “perquisites, ways and means”, while the poor survive only on hopes.

“This is aside from other unwritten and unmentionable advantages that set them apart from the other disadvantaged citizenry,” Ajaero said.

“This exercise is coming at a time of promotion and salary freeze in most public subsectors and the continued imposition/operation of N70,000 minimum wage because there are no resources to pay higher in spite of insane tariff hikes.”

Ajaero said during previous wage reviews, civil servants received “less than 50 percent increases, while political office holders enjoyed increments exceeding 800 percent”.

He also noted that pay structures for civil servants vary across states, while political officeholders earn the same nationwide.

“While we recognise the need for good remuneration packages, they should be across board and equitable and not done on the basis of discrimination as that runs contrary to the letter and spirit of our constitution,” he added.

“One of the most heinous crimes against humanity is the institution and promotion of apartheid in any human setting, no matter how subtle.”

The NLC president also demanded that the current salaries of political officeholders be made public, along with the benchmarks for the proposed review.

“RMAFC should put on hold this exercise before it triggers a tsunami,” he added.