Inflation: Reps decry poor pay for workers

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

The House of Representatives has decried the poor salaries of workers in the country, saying that rising inflation has made it difficult for the average Nigerian to afford basic necessities like food, housing, and clothing among others.

The House expressed concerns that unless there were immediate and pragmatic steps to improve the income of workers, the population of poor Nigerians would increase and lead to more desperation among citizens.

Consequently, the House resolved to set up an Ad-hoc Committee to “look into modalities for the payment of living wages, to leave Nigerian workers at rate that matches economic realities.”

This followed the adoption of a motion by the Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, Deputy Minority Leader, Aliyu Madaki and 38 others on “the need to provide living wage for workers in Nigeria,” yesterday.

Madaki, while leading the debate on the motion, noted that the rising rate of inflation in the country had resulted in cost of living, including food, accommodation, education, and transportation, skyrocketing.

The lawmaker recalled  that  the Federal Government, in the aftermath of the removal of fuel subsidy, offered some palliative to cushion the effects of the policy. Nevertheless, he argued that the “ameliorative effect of this measure has been overtaken by the continued rise in the cost of goods and services.

“Nigeria is a signatory to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Article 23 of the declaration states that ‘every individual who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration to ensure such a person and his or her family exist in dignity.

“The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have a 2030 achievement deadline, and eight out of the 17 SDGs of the United Nations require the payment of a living wage to be achieved. “Trade Economics in 2018 reported the living wage for an individual Nigerian and a  Nigerian family to be N43,200 per month and N137,600 per month, respectively. This is a pre-subsidy removal report.”

Madaki, while stating that “presently, no labourer can live in Nigeria with a wage of less than N100,000,” expressed concern that a World Bank report indicates that “low purchasing power in the country occasioned by a high inflationary rate has led to an increase in poverty across the country.”