Popular Catholic priest, Rev. Father Ejike Mbaka, has called on the Federal Government to address the minimum wage issue with caution to prevent potential crises. His remarks come amid ongoing discussions between the government and labour unions about the proposed new minimum wage. The government has suggested a minimum wage of N62,000, while labour unions are demanding N250,000.
Father Mbaka criticized the high allowances given to legislators despite the economic hardships faced by many Nigerians. He suggested that senators, governors, and members of the House of Representatives should also receive the proposed N62,000 national minimum wage to ensure fairness.
“If we decide to give labour N60,000 or N62,000, why not generalize it to the House of Assembly members, senatorial members, House of Representative members, and governors?” Mbaka stated in an interview with journalists on Saturday. “They are all civil servants, so are the others slaves? I can’t understand why they are amassing billions as sitting allowance, wardrobe allowance, newspaper allowance, and suffering allowance. The people that should have such allowances are those suffering in the village.”
Father Mbaka further highlighted the disparity in salaries between civil servants and legislators. “How much are our teachers, nurses, and doctors being paid? Let’s be realistic. Our civil servants that wake early and return late daily, how much are they being paid? Looking at the level of inflation in the country, you will see that we are all not sincere in this country.”
He urged the government to handle the situation with care, warning that mishandling it could lead to unintended consequences. “I’m pleading with the government that a stitch in time saves nine; this situation must be handled with care because it might be hijacked and nobody knows the ripple effect.”
