Northern Nigerian Breaking News

NLC asks President Buhari to raise salaries by 50 percent

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has recommended a 50 percent salary review “across the board given the realities on ground.”

The labour union made the recommendation in a letter by its President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba to President Muhammadu Buhari.

The letter titled ”Reviving the Economy: Our Response to Governors Prescriptions” was dated August 8th.

It could be recalled that the Governors had pushed for the elimination of petrol subsidy, the retirement of civil servants from the age of 50, and the reduction of National Assembly constituency projects among other prescriptions.

The union lambasted the Governors for seeking early retirement of workers, saying anyone promoting this idea “should be treated as enemies of your government.”

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Instead of early retirement, the union asked the Buhari-led administration to consider a further increase of worker salaries.

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“While we commend you for your thoughtfulness for a wage increase, truth of the matter is that given the misfortune that has befallen the Nigerian populace, especially workers with fixed incomes, there is an urgent need for a massive intervention much deeper than the 22 percent,” President Ayuba Wabba, said.

“We would recommend a 50 percent salary review across the board given the realities on ground.”

“Pursuant to this, if State Governors strongly believe that age 50 is the problem, we demand that all governors, public office holders and politicians above 50, as a mark of good faith, should immediately step aside.

”Leading by example would spur public servants to take a cue.

“Beyond this however, implementation of this policy in the public sector will give a cue to the private sector to follow suit, with all its attendant devastating consequences,’’ he said.

Wabba also said that Nigerian governors were famous for ”lavish spending and wastage” and there was no assurance that money saved from stopped oil subsidy would be channeled to good use.

He also said on the issue of removal of fuel subsidy that the congress found it ” unrealistic, insensitive and hypocritical.”

“We find it distasteful that petrol subsidies in Nigeria create distortions in the economy but they do the opposite in US or Western Europe.

“Truth is that removal of the little benefit the average person in Nigeria enjoys could lead to unintended consequences which we would be better off without.’’.

He, therefore, said that the solution to subsidy and the increasing deficits laid in domestic refining, effective management of Nigerian refineries.

Wabba added,” this also to create an enabling environment for effective and efficient public sector leadership in the building and management of local refineries.”

On the recommendations for the introduction of state sales taxes at 10 per cent, Wabba said that this seeks to make the poor pay more taxes while the rich pay little or nothing.

He added that this was clear violation of the well-known norm of the rich paying taxes to cover up for the poor, adding,” It is a global norm and practice.”

Wabba therefore called for a raise in taxes across the board for the rich, including increased taxes on luxury goods and lifestyles.

“Your Excellency, instead of embracing jobs termination which will compound the existing crises in our country, we should adopt the positives of retaining our best hands as a way of motivating the public service.

“We find ludicrous the recommendation for the expedited privatisation of non-performing assets because our privatisation story has been a sad and painful one that and hath no need of re-telling here.

“ It has been replete with asset-stripping, incapacity (financial, operational and management) and total failure.

“At a time most Nigerians are calling for a reversal, especially in the power sector, it is ill-advised to privatise more entities,’’ he said.

The NLC boss also said that one of the reasons why the economy was performing below expectation was ”due to the fact that TSA and IPPIS have been compromised negatively.

“Accordingly, we call for severe sanctions that will send a clear message to all that the practice of popular democracy is not synonymous with violation of extant laws or promotion of corruption.

“Closely-linked to this, is the cost of governance which comes in the twin form of unacceptable indulgences and celebration of greed to the detriment of the greater majority.

“This leads to the promotion of negative values with collateral consequences.

“We need not remind you that we have enough resources to go round everyone one of us but for the expensive life style, the insatiable greed and the mischief of a select few.”

“In the light of this, we urge you to go forth and recover all the money cornered by the governors and any other public office holder, to the last kobo irrespective of party affiliation, creed or sex,’’ he said.

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