Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has appealed to the Federal Government to initiate the process of slashing by half, the jumbo salaries and allowances of federal lawmakers to free-up funds to provide relief for impoverished masses scattered all over the country.
Vanguard recalls that Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, had, in his early days as the head of the National Assembly, hinted that his leadership would review downward the perceived bogus salaries and allowances of senators but his plans apparently hit a brick wall
However, MURIC, in a statement, yesterday, by its Executive Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, reasoned that the deductions from the remuneration of the federal lawmakers could be used by the Federal Government to pay the WAEC, NECO, JAMB and Post-JAMB fees of all Nigerian students, especially those whose parents cannot afford to pay the average N33,850 required for each child to take all qualifying examinations into tertiary institutions.
The group further proposed that Nigeria’s minimum wage be raised to N50,000, saying the Federal Government, as at today, appeared to be leading its own civil service into the temptation to steal by maintaining the meagre N18,000 minimum wage it inherited from the previous administration..
The statement read: “We propose that Nigeria’s minimum wage should be raised to N50,000. A country actively fighting corruption should not impoverish its civil service. The Federal Government, as at today, appears to be leading its own civil service into the temptation to steal.
‘’The way out of this conundrum is to raise minimum wage significantly from the current N18,000 to N50,000 as requested by Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC.
“We also suggest payment of only half of the salary of our present lawmakers (whatever that is). The deducted half should be used by government to pay WAEC, NECO, JAMB and post-JAMB fees of all Nigerian students as a relief for the impoverished tax-payers.
“Government should be prepared to subsidise it, if the amount deducted from lawmakers’ salary is not sufficient. The average Nigerian worker is deliberately impoverished by those elected by him
Comments
Post a Comment