Ejike Mbaka, the spiritual director of Adoration Ministry, Enugu, has voiced a strong opinion regarding the proposed minimum wage of N62,000 by the Federal Government, suggesting that members of the National Assembly should also earn the same amount.
In an interview with AIT, Mbaka expressed his concerns about the economic disparity between lawmakers and ordinary Nigerians, particularly civil servants.
He argued that the proposed minimum wage should apply uniformly across all sectors, including governors, senators, and members of the House of Representatives.
Fear of Rebellion
Mbaka warned about the potential consequences of continued economic hardship on the Nigerian populace.
“We can push these poor Nigerians to the point of rebellion.
That is my fear.
All of us were in Lagos that day, we couldn’t come back,” he said, referring to a past incident where labor unions halted airport operations.
He highlighted the disruptive potential of such strikes, suggesting that future actions could lead to unforeseen and uncontrollable outcomes.
“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.”
Equal Pay for Lawmakers
Mbaka’s primary argument centered around the notion of fairness and equity.
He questioned why lawmakers should earn significantly more than the proposed minimum wage, given that they are also civil servants.
“If we decide to give labour N60,000 or N62,000, why not generalise it to the house of assembly members, senatorial members, house of representative members, and governors? All of them are civil servants. So, are the others slaves?” he asked.
He criticized the excessive allowances received by lawmakers, suggesting that such funds would be better allocated to the impoverished masses.
“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.”
Economic Reality for Civil Servants
Mbaka also highlighted the dire economic conditions faced by essential workers such as teachers, nurses, and doctors, emphasizing the need for realistic and fair compensation.
“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.”
His comments come amidst ongoing negotiations between the Federal Government and labor unions, with the proposed minimum wage being a central issue.
The suggestion to equalize wages across different sectors could spark further debate about income disparity and economic justice in Nigeria.
