Rev. Father Ejike Mbaka, a prominent Catholic priest, has urged the Federal Government to handle the minimum wage issue with care to avoid a potential crisis.
His comments come amid ongoing discussions between the Federal Government and labour unions over the new minimum wage. The government has proposed a minimum wage of N62,000, while labour unions are demanding N250,000.
Mbaka criticized the allowances given to legislators despite the hardships faced by Nigerians. He suggested that senators, governors, and members of the House of Representatives should also receive the proposed N62,000 national minimum wage.
He advised the Federal Government to proceed cautiously to prevent a crisis.
Speaking to journalists on Saturday, Mbaka stated, “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?
“They are all civil servants, so are the others slaves? I can’t understand why they are amazing billions as sitting allowance, wardrobe allowance, newspaper allowance, and suffering allowance.
“The people that should have such allowances are those suffering in the village.”
Speaking further, Mbaka said, “How much are our teachers, nurses, and doctors being paid? Let’s be realistic, our civil servants that wake early and return late daily, how much are they being paid?
“Looking at the level of inflation in the country, you will see that we are all not sincere in this country.
“I’m pleading with the government that a stitch in time saves nine; this situation must be handled with care because it might be hijacked and nobody knows the ripple effect.”
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