Despite their promise to slash their salaries by half in the face of growing hardships among ordinary Nigerians primarily caused by the fiscal policies of the President Tinubu-led administration, House of Representatives lawmakers have failed to walk their talk on the promise after three weeks.
The lawmakers had unanimously passed a resolution on July 18, 2024, to slash their salaries by 50% for the next six months in demonstration of their sensitivity to the suffering of the masses, reducing the burgeoning cost of governance and averting the planned nationwide hunger protests by aggrieved Nigerians, which kicked off on August 1.
Confirming the delay in enforcing the legislators’ promise, the Green Chambers’ spokesman, Mr. Rotimi Akin, was quoted as saying that “necessary administrative procedures and coordination with financial institutions” have delayed the implementation.
Based on their earlier promise, each of the lawmakers had pledged to contribute N300,000 monthly month to a collective fund, which would have grossed N108 million each month for disbursements to aid the government’s intervention efforts.
As expected, the failure to effect the pay cut has continued to elicit public criticisms, especially from the poor masses and public analysts as the hunger entered its 7th day today.
Reacting to the delay by the lawmakers to slash their pay as promised during a telephone call with our correspondent on Wednesday, an Abuja-based public finance analyst, Joshua Ehemba, said: “Nigerians should not be surprised about that because our political leaders have never shown that they are representing the people.
“So, I am not surprised that they didn’t keep to their promise at all. Today, most Nigerians know that based on the socioeconomic hardships millions of ordinary Nigerians are facing, democracy is not working in Nigeria and that is why the people are now protesting for a change to enable them to survive”, Ehemba added.
