Nigerians React To Planned Pay Rise For Political Office Holders
A recent statement by the chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission of a possible upward review of salaries of political office holders has continued to generate reactions.
The Chairman of the commission, Mohammed Shehu had in a recent public statement noted that the current salary structure is outdated and needs to be adjusted to ensure accountability and discourage corruption.
The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, says it is currently considering a review of the salaries of political office holders including the President, Vice President, governors, legislators and judicial officers.
While some argue that the increase is necessary, others believe it’s a misplaced priority that ignores the struggles of ordinary citizens.
Reacting on the proposal, an Elder statesman, former Commissioner for Education in the old Anambra state and one time Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nduka Eya, said the proposal is insensitive to the plight of Nigerians.
Chief Eya advised the political class to think more of how to render selfless service to the nation over and above their personal welfare.
Some other respondents align their views with that of the elder statesman saying the proposal is disappointing going by the hardships faced by Nigerians.
Others however think that increasing the salaries of political office holders is not a bad idea as long as they work hard to justify the pay hike.
The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and major opposition parties like the PDP, NNPP, and ADC had earlier criticized the proposal telling authorities to shelve the plan.
Ireland slashed ministerial and parliamentary salaries by as much as 30% during the financial crisis while members of Greece Parliament accepted salary cuts in solidarity with the citizens during the country’s sovereign debt crisis.
