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The Labour Party has issued a strong warning to the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) over its reported plan to review and increase salaries of political office holders, describing the move as “audacious, unconscionable and insensitive” to the plight of ordinary Nigerians.
In a statement signed by Prince Tony Akeni, Interim National Publicity Secretary of the party, the LP accused RMAFC Chairman, Mr. Mohammed Shehu, of attempting to “join the list of government officials who seek personal enrichment at the expense of the people” under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The party faulted Shehu’s claim at a press conference in Abuja that President Tinubu earns only ₦18 million annually and ministers about ₦12 million, dismissing the figures as “a mischievous and obnoxious lie of figure juggling.” The statement further alleged that senior officials, including the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Mr. Olayemi Michael Cardoso, enjoy extravagant allowances and luxury benefits far beyond what was disclosed to Nigerians.
“It is both curious and troubling,” the statement read, “that while millions of Nigerians groan under severe economic hardship, the RMAFC chairman is campaigning for fatter salaries for politicians already over-indulged in comparison to their counterparts in civilized democracies.”
The Labour Party warned that such a proposal would only deepen corruption and fuel further borrowings by the Tinubu administration. Instead, the party urged the commission to direct its energy towards reviewing the national minimum wage, currently pegged at ₦70,000, in line with global appeals for improved workers’ welfare.
“If a foreign nation like the United States can openly advocate for an improvement of Nigeria’s pathetic minimum wage, what excuse does RMAFC have not to act in the interest of our citizens?” the statement queried.
The LP also took aim at Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, for recently commending the Tinubu administration, questioning whether such praise could be justified under the standards of other developed nations given Nigeria’s widespread corruption and insecurity.
Calling on Nigerians to resist what it described as “the wolf packs ravaging our flock, values and destiny as a great country,” the party urged collective action to end what it termed the “unchecked corruption orgy of the APC administration.”
“The fight to dismantle the structure, superstructure and architecture of corruption is not Peter Obi’s fight alone. It is not Labour Party’s fight alone. It is the fight of all 200 million Nigerians,” Akeni declared.
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