Nigeria’s organized labour has said the reduction of the budget of the national assembly from N150billion to N120bn was not far reaching enough.This was made known in a statement on Sunday by
Comrade Issa Aremu, General Secretary of textile workers’ union who doubles as deputy president of Joe Ajaero led faction of NLC .He said though labour acknowledge the cut, “ The reported reduction of the budget of the National Assembly by 20% budget is too token. It is not certainly far reaching enough. The National Assembly members should appreciate the mood of the nation for leadership sacrifices, resource allocation for national development and common good as opposed to self helps. Nations prosper when their leaders are willing to sacrifice. While nations fail when leaders engage in selfish self help agenda.
“The critical questions are; should 109 senators and 360 Members of the House of Representatives, (some 469 legislators in total!) gulp as much as N120 billion in a year which is twice the 2015 budget of Ekiti State of N80.774 billion, a state with the population of 2,384,212 people? How equitable is it for less than 500 national legislators to gulp N120 billions annually when Osun State with population of 3,423,535 people and unfunded 2015 appropriation bill of N201 billion is yet to pay salaries for 7 months? Benue State has as many as 4,219,244 people, it budgeted N98.54 billion; Zamfara has 3,259,846 citizens and budgeted N92.80 billion; and Ebonyi, budgeted N80.02 billion for 2,173,501 people. The respective budget of these three states is half of the budget of the National Assembly. How equitable is that?
Delving into the Constitution, the statement said “Chapter II of the 1999 constitution deals with the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy. Section 13 mandates all organs of government, exercising legislative, executive or judicial powers, to promote policies towards ensuring:
“(a) the promotion of a planned and balanced economic development;
(b) that the material resources of the nation are harnessed and distributed as best as possible to serve the common good;
(c) that the economic system is not operated in such a manner as to permit the concentration of wealth or the means of production and exchange in the hands of few individuals or of a group; ”
“There has been illegal and unconstitutional concentration of scarce national resources in the hands of our legislators and Executive office holders alike that must be reversed now. For instance, Kano State budgeted N210 billion in 2015. Kano State has 9,383,682 people. The budget per capital of Kano, estimated at N22,379 is miserable compared to budget per capital of the National Assembly at N293,398,533! No country can prosper with this wide and widening gap in resource allocation between the governed and some elected government officials.
“The National Assembly members should take the advantage of the current goodwill of Nigerians in making an amend failing which they provoke mass revolt of the people.
“As the first step the National Assembly budget should be reversed to 2003 budget of N50 billion which will certainly cut the existing budget of the assembly by more than 50 per cent. After all since 2003, the number of members remains the same while most their infrastructural needs have been met. Secondly the national economy can hardly afford this legislative pay.
“The 8th National Assembly must make a difference. It should be accountable to Nigerian people, just as many Executives have done.
“In April 2009, the late President Umaru Yar’Adua commendably and without pressures whatsoever voluntarily cut the salaries and allowances of political public holders by 20 per cent, to reflect the then global financial crisis. Late Yar’Adua did not wait for Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). As much as N2.5billion per annum was saved from the deductions which was in turn pooled into a fund used to improve on additional transportation for public sector workers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Nigerian economy is worse today than it was under the late Yar Adua due to fall in oil price ad crude oil theft.
“The 8th Assembly must compliment President Muhammed Buhari in his resolve to cut cost of governance fueled by corruption, the worse form of which is outrageous pay for public office holders. They must emulate state governors like Mallam Nasir El Rufai of Kaduna state and his deputy who have cut their pay by 50 per cent and urged the Members of House of Assembly to follow suit. New Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje also reduced the salaries and allowances of public office holders in the State by 50 per cent.
Aremu said “Significantly the legislators must reject the Greek allowances Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) generously accorded them. These allowances are unsustainable. They are not based on needs in a depressed economy. For instance, why pay legislators who already collected over a million Naira wardrobe allowance? It will take a minimum wage earner about 2 years and five months to earn what legislators earn as wardrobe allowance of N506,600.
Also he advocated that :The 8th National Assembly should rightly redirect national resources to priority sectors such as education, health and road construction. The assembly must also urgently review the minimum wage Act of 2010 which according to the Act expires in July this year. The assembly should constitute the Tripartite Statutory Committee based on equal basis between Government, Organized labour and Organized private sector.
Slams Ben Murray Bruce
He equaled slammed Senator Ben Murray Bruce. “The Members of the 8th National Assembly should be focused on their mandate of making good laws for good governance instead of grandstanding on national issues.
“We hereby congratulate Senator Ben Maurice Bruce for his election to the Senate. However, we advise him to be focused in his passion for public good. NLC hereby reject his so-called donation of his wardrobe allowance to Osun striking workers.
“No self respecting labour unions should collect Ben Bruce’s wardrobe allowance in lieu of legitimate salaries denied workers in the States and at Federal level. His wardrobe allowance is undeserved in the first place. In fact the non payment of salaries at States level is connected with frivolous pay of legislators. The whole nation has said as much. Workers create wealth that must be legitimately earned by them as at when due. Workers are not internally displaced citizens (IDPs) or beggars waiting for unearned donations of some overpaid legislators. To this extent Senator Ben Maurice Bruce should return wardrobe allowances he does not need to the pool and swell the national purse to pay workers. Above all he should be part of the change in the assembly to make laws that will enhance productivity, ensure dignity of labour, criminalize non-payment of salaries as at when due.
Condemns Kafachan Killing
Aremu also condemned “the recent senseless killing in Kafanchan. We sympathize with the governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El Rufai and the families of the victims. Security issue is not government problem alone. As a stakeholder in the state, we are willing to partner with the State government to put an end to these senseless killings in the State.
“We also condemn the recent shooting at a church in Charleston, S.C. USA that reportedly claimed the lives of 9 black African and American worshippers. We commiserate with the families of the victims and call on the American government to take immediate measures to end the rising cases of domestic terrorism.
Mourns Dan Maraya
He also expressed his ” condolence to the family of one of the most respected Nigerian musicians from the north of the country, Adamu Wayya, best known as Dan maraya Jos. A recipient of the National Honours of MON, OON and United Nations Peace Medal, the late Dan Maraya Jos was a friend of labour and pride of the African continent. He was a worker who lived on dignity of labour. May his soul rest in peace.”
