The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has call for the reduction in the salaries of National Assembly members and other appointed or elected office holders to boost government capacity to pay the minimum wage in the country.
He made the call in Abuja on Wednesday at the maiden National Catechetical Summit organised by the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) with the theme: “Revamping Catechetical Apostolate in Nigeria”.
According to him, there was need for the minimum wage to be approached in a way that it would benefit majorly the low wage earners.
“The whole issue about minimum wage is very problematic in Nigeria. I hope you all know that whenever there is increase in minimum wage, it is the poorest and lowest wage earners who gain.
“If the government, for instance, agree on a minimum wage of N30,000, they will be getting increment of N12,000 every month. I am told that when that happens, many people on grade levels 12, 13, 14 and 15, will get an increase of (about) N200,000 every month. Is it true? If it is true, then, there is something wrong.
“We want the people who will want to decide that the kind of salaries and allowances being received by legislators in the National Assembly is not sustainable.
“The agitation for minimum wage should be worked out in such a way that it really targets those who need it. Minimum wage should not be used as an excuse to increase the wages of those who are not even within the minimum wage bracket. What I understand by minimum wage is that nobody should be given a wage that is below the living wage,” Onaiyekan said.
He added, “When it comes to the issue if salaries and allowances, all the political parties seem to have nothing to say. They all agree because it serves their selfish interests. So anybody going to politics for selfish interest is only going to make things worse for us.”
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