Govs, senators, Reps should also earn N62,000 minimum wage — Mbaka

On Jun 10, 2024

Reacting to te disagreement between the Federal Government and organised labour on a new minimum wage, controversial Catholic priest, Ejike Mbaka, said weekend that governors and members of the National Assembly should also earn the N62,000 minimum wage proposed by the Federal Government.

Governors came out weekend to stress the fact that they cannot pay a N60,000 minimum wage which organised labour had even rejected.
But speaking in an interview with African Independent Television, AIT, on Saturday, Mbaka said governors, senators, and members of the National Assembly should also earn the N62,000 minimum wage.
He said: “We can push these poor Nigerians to the point of rebellion. That is my fear. We were all stranded in Lagos that day; we could come back (labour strike).
‘’Just like a joke, the labour people entered into the airport and stopped every operation and if this happens again, it might be tantamount to what nobody dreams or what we dream but out of fear we cannot release to the public.

If we decide to give labour N60,000 or N62,000, why not generalise it to National Assembly members – Senate and House of Representatives – and governors?
“All of them are civil servants. So, are the others slaves? I cannot imagine why somebody can be amassing billions and billions as sitting allowance, wardrobe allowance, newspaper allowance, vehicle allowance and what they call suffering allowance. The people that should have such allowances should be the poor masses in the villages. As teachers, how much are they being paid? Our nurses and doctors, how much are they being paid?
‘’Let us be realistic, our civil servants that wake from Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.
“They wake up early and return late. How much are they being paid? And look at the level of inflation in the country.”
Mbaka asked the government to “speedily” address the minimum wage issue with Organised Labour to avoid another strike. If they (government) are not careful, this crisis can be hijacked and nobody knows the ripple effects.”