Be careful on minimum wage to avoid crisis, Father Mbaka warns FG

Popular Catholic Priest, Rev. Father Ejike Mbaka has urged the Federal Government to handle the minimum wage issue with caution to avoid crisis.

The cleric spoke on the heels of the Federal Government and labour deliberations on the new minimum wage which the government has pegged at N62,000 as against the current demands of N250,000 by the Labour unions.

Mbaka criticised the allowances given to legislators despite the hardships faced by Nigerians, arguing that senators, governors, and members of the House of Representatives should all be eligible to receive the proposed N62,000 national minimum salary.

He advised the Federal Government to proceed cautiously to prevent a crisis.

Speaking to journalists on Saturday, Mbaka said: “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?

“They are all civil servants, so are the others slaves? I can’t understand why they are amazing billions as sitting allowance, wardrobe allowance, newspaper allowance, and suffering allowance.

“The people that should have such allowances are those suffering in the village.

“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.

“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.”