The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi has commented on the news making rounds about the 114% increment of the wage bills of the executives, legislators and judiciary.
Obi disclosed this on Thursday morning (June 22) in a tweet on his official and verified Twitter account saying that this is not the appropriate time for such an increment.
“I learnt with great reservation, the approval of a 114% increase in the salaries of elected politicians, including the President, vice president, governors, lawmakers as well as judicial and public office holders by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).
“This is not the appropriate time for such salary increment if it is at all necessary. We are living in a time when an average Nigerian is struggling with many harsh economic realities, and with over 130 million Nigerians now living in poverty. This is a moment when recent reform measures by the government have increased living costs astronomically”, Obi said.
Obi said this is a time for sacrifice, admonishing the leaders to reverse the 114% wage bill increment.
“The sacrifice, at this time in our nation, should be borne by the leaders. The increment should be reversed immediately, and the savings should be devoted to fixing education, healthcare and poverty alleviation especially in the remote rural areas”, he maintained.
The presidential candidate who is still challenging the victory of President Bola Tinubu in court said at these trying times, the leaders are expected to focus on cutting the cost of governance rather than amassing wealth for themselves.
He said: “One would expect the leaders and public officeholders to focus on cutting the cost of governance, alleviating the sufferings of Nigerians. This moment calls for creative ways of pulling the majority out of poverty.
“In the immortal words of Shakespeare’s Julius Ceaser, ‘What touches us ourself shall be last served.’ The leaders, therefore, should prioritise what affects the masses and those on the lower strata of society over themselves”.
