S.O.S ALIEME

Put the politicians on minimum wage and watch how fast things change. Putting Nigerian politicians on the national minimum wage is a popular public demand aimed at cutting the cost of governance, though it faces major legal and structural hurdles. The current national minimum wage is ₦70,000 per month, while political officeholders receive salaries and massive allowances managed by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

Citizens and labour activists argue that pegging politicians' pay to the minimum wage would bridge the massive wealth gap between public servants and ordinary Nigerians.  Proponents believe it would make political offices less lucrative, attracting only individuals genuinely interested in public service rather than personal enrichment. Advocates state that forcing lawmakers and executives to live on standard wages would motivate them to properly fund public infrastructure and improve the economy for everyone.

Some time ago, there was a serious argument between groups of workers during the strike action by workers in the country over the minimum wage which commenced in November, 2018, I guess.  From what the workers were saying, one could deduce that they are inferring that the enemies of the Nigerian people are some self-centred politicians because they are privileged to be on the saddle of government where decisions are made for the overall good of the people but yet they do not see any reason why they should act for the good of the people.

Interestingly, if you observe, some of the governors’ security votes alone runs into several hundreds of millions, and amongst these enemies of the Nigerian people as exhibited during this imbroglio over the payment of a mere N70,000 as minimum wage for Nigerian workers.  According to the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, the government is shying away from the recommended N100,000 by the tripartite committee duly set up by the government.  What a shame from these governors who have put forward excuses why they cannot pay this amount in a nation where political office holders earn some of the highest wages in the world and the public sector workers are literally begging to get the crumbs. Their refusal to pay the minimum wage to the workers who are labouring for the development of our country is no doubt an attempt to undermine and take the workers for granted because any rational human being who appreciates the role of the workers will not deny them this amount which was even cut down from their initial demand.

Most Nigerians are no more surprised with the attitude of some politicians who are greedy and nonchalant to the plight of the people. As the campaigns commenced in the last few weeks, the people will be the beautiful bride of politicians who will be seeking their votes again. There is no doubt that one of the problems we are facing in the country is that our political firmament is full of charlatans, praise singers, human worshippers, bootlickers and persons who live rental lifestyles and hence perpetrate a situation where leaders are just being recycled. This explains why the country is today full of frustration, anger and widespread disappointment by majority of the people at the grass root.  The attitude of some politicians is clashing with the interest of the people who voted for them to occupy political offices where they have found themselves.  This is because very often, most politicians put their selfish interest over and above the people when they are in the corridors of power and that is capable of tearing down any government that is insensitive to the plight of the people. It is however, the expectation of any right thinking Nigerian that minimum wage negotiations should yield positive response from the government to avert any strike action that will shut down the nation.

The proposal for a new national minimum wage continues to spark renewed discussion on workers’ welfare, increasing living costs, and, crucially, the constitutional procedures involved in wage setting. While many workers agree that current salaries have been severely eroded by inflation, labour leaders, employers and public-sector negotiators have argued that the issue is less about the peg proposed but more about who has the legal authority to set a national minimum wage. However, the proposal was swiftly rejected by organised labour and several stakeholders, who described it as premature, unconstitutional and outside the mandate of the governors’ forum.

Under Nigeria’s wage-setting framework, the national minimum wage is determined through a statutory process involving organised labour, employers and government representatives. The outcome of such negotiations is subsequently transmitted to the National Assembly for legislative approval before becoming law. The current N70,000 national minimum wage was approved through that process in 2024, with the law providing for periodic reviews every three years. The next formal review is expected in 2027. For labour leaders, any attempt to propose a new wage figure outside that framework undermines the established mechanism that balances workers’ welfare with economic realities.

The question on workers’ lips is if politicians are placed on the national minimum wage just like their counterparts in the civil service what becomes of the politicians.  Can the politicians live successfully in line with the current economic malaise in Nigeria? Judging by their status as servants of the people but ascribing leadership positions to themselves, will they accept this current payroll of the civil servants? 

Remove subsidy from the salaries of the politicians and let them experience the sweetness of the economy. The jumbo pay for political office holders in Nigeria is very regrettable, especially when you compare their pay with the state of the Nigerian economy, living standards of those they represent, life expectancy in Nigeria, the perceptual income and the salaries paid to Nigerian workers, professors, medical doctors, lawyers etc.  I believe that if we want to have a very stable society, the politicians should not be paid more than other workers.

The future of the next generation rests on the workers and they are unhappy. They are ill-equipped and ill-motivated. The condition of service is not conducive. The salaries of civil servants should be subsidized while that of public office holders is reduced. This will create economic balance in the economy.

God Bless Nigeria!!!