By Amarachi Onyemma, News/Comments, June 11, 2024
NEWS-The Enugu fiery and controversial Catholic priest. Rev. Fr Ejike Mbaka has proposed that both the National Assembly lawmakers and governors should also earn the N62, 000 proposed new minimum wage by the federal government. The Priest stated this at the weeked on Africa Independent Television while responding to questions, concerning the organized labour’s strike and the federal government of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, it could be recall that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) had embarked on an indefinite strike over the federal government’s inability to meet their demand for a new minimum wage, which shut the the country last week for two days and late relaxed the industrial action for one week to allow negotiations with the federal government on a new minimum wage.
This is even as both triparte parties resumed talks on June 6, where the new wage was proposed. Mbaka who frowned at the proposed N62,000 minimum berated the government, stating that Salaries of members of the national assembly have been shrouded in secrecy, eliciting speculation 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.
“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.”
The fearless Priest therefore advised the government to “speedily” address the minimum wage issue with the organised labour to avoid another strike. Warning that if necessary steps are not taken on time, it may result to danger. “if they are not careful, this crisis of a thing can be hijacked and nobody knows the ripples effect.”
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